State Goes Smoke-Free At Midnight

Publication Date: 2006-06-30

• Publication:KMGH ABC Denver's 7

Many bars and restaurants in Colorado will be closing down their smoking sections for the last time Friday night.

Colorado's new smoking ban takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning. The Colorado Clean Indoor Air Cct applies to all restaurants, taverns, and most businesses. It's part of 81 laws going into effect on July 1.

The ban, approved by the Legislature earlier this year, prohibits smoking in most indoor places throughout the state. Smoking areas at restaurants and bars must be at least 15 feet away from the entrance. The only exceptions to the ban are tobacco stores, cigar bars, the smoking lounge at Denver International Airport, private workplaces with fewer than four employees and those are not accessible to the public, and casinos.