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News Summary

Washington D.C. Snuffs Smoking.

Publication Date: 2007-01-01
  • Author:Brett Zongker
  • Publication:Examiner

Smokers are being forced out of bars and nightclubs in the District of Columbia beginning Tuesday, and some businesses are worried about losing dollars to Virginia, which has strong ties to tobacco...

The smoking ban, which passed a year ago by the D.C. Council, took effect in April for restaurants and offices and extends to bars and nightclubs after New Year's Day...

Mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty doesn't believes businesses will be hurt.

"We really painstakingly reviewed every city, especially major cities, that enacted a smoking ban, and there was no evidence whatsoever that enacting a smoking ban sends business elsewhere," Fenty said.

In fact, smoke-free bars and restaurants may attract Virginia customers to Washington, said Arlington County, Va., board chairman Paul Ferguson.

The nation's capital follows 21 states and more than 2,300 municipalities that have mandated smoke-free workplaces, according to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.

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