Mayor Favors Smoking Ban

Publication Date: 2008-02-18

• Author:AP
• Publication:Yankton Press & Dakotan

As South Dakota lawmakers debate smoking on a statewide level, Aberdeen's mayor, Mike Levsen, says he knows what he'd do if he could: There would be no smoking in Aberdeen.

"It's not a question of free choice," Levsen said. "It's a question of public health. We don't allow employers to have other unsafe working conditions. We don't allow restaurants to have dirty kitchens. Why should we allow them to have dirty air?"

According to existing state law, the Legislature is the exclusive regulator of all matters relating to the use of tobacco products.

A 2002 state law says no one can smoke tobacco or carry lighted tobacco products in any public place or place of employment. A public place is defined as an enclosed indoor area where people are permitted or invited, and a place of employment is defined as an enclosed indoor area under the control of a public or private employer.

Tobacco stores, package liquor stores and any business with on-sale alcoholic beverage licenses or video lottery licenses are exempt from the smoking ban.