Bay State Goes Smoke Free

By Mark Bevis on Tuesday, July 6, 2004.

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Smokers in New Hampshire may be pleased to know that they can enjoy an increasingly endangered privilege in New England.

On Monday, Massachusetts joined a growing list of states... including Maine... that have banned smoking in just about all workplaces

New Hampshire Public Radio's Mark Bevis has more.

FOR MANY MASSACHUSETTS SMOKERS THE NEW LAW PROHIBITING SMOKING ON THE JOB PROBABLY DIDN'T CHANGE THEIR LIVES MUCH.

ALREADY, SOME 100 TOWNS AND CITIES ACROSS THE BAY STATE BANNED SMOKING IN MOST WORKPLACES.

BUT A MONTH AGO, GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY SIGNED A BILL THAT WOULD TAKE THAT BAN STATEWIDE.

AND AS OF MONDAY, THE LAW IS IN EFFECT.

ATTORNEY EDWARD SWEDA IS WITH THE TOBACCO CONTROL RESOURCE CENTER AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY'S LAW SCHOOL.

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EDWARD SWEDA IS SENIOR ATTORNEY WITH THE TOBACCO CONTROL RESOURCE CENTER AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY'S LAW SCHOOL.

SWEDA SAYS RESEARCH FROM THE 1990S HAS SHOWN THAT WORKPLACE SMOKING BANS CAN CUT THE NUMBER OF CIGARETTS SMOKED BY 10-15 PERCENT.

VIOLATORS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS LAW FACE FINES FROM 100 TO 300 DOLLARS.

FOR NHPR NEWS, THIS IS MARK BEVIS.