State laws prohibiting smoking in private worksites triples 

The number of states with laws prohibiting smoking in private sector worksites, restaurants, and/or bars in the United States tripled and the number with no such laws was halved between 2005 and 2007, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of states with prohibitions in private sector worksites, restaurants, and/or bars rose from 8 to 25, and the number of states with no such prohibitions fell from 16 to 8, the report said.

The study, which compared the status of state smoking restrictions, focused on private sector worksites, restaurants, and bars where adult nonsmokers were most likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke—especially employees in restaurants and bars, who are at risk of exposure to high concentrations of secondhand smoke.

The report updates a study that used data compiled from CDC's State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System database and was released in July 2005.

During the study period that ended Dec. 31, 2007, 18 states changed the level of their smoking restrictions for private sector worksites. Also, 18 states changed the level of their smoking restrictions for restaurants; some of those states also changed worksite restrictions. Twelve states changed the level of their smoking restrictions for bars. All the changes made the restrictions more protective. During the study period, states that required all three settings to be smoke-free increased from three to 12, while the number of states with no smoking restrictions for any of these three settings decreased from 16 to eight.

"Smoking restrictions such as these reduce the risk of heart disease and lung cancer among nonsmoking adults," said Janet Collins, PhD, director of CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "These findings are encouraging as they suggest that we may achieve the national health objective of establishing laws making indoor public places and worksites smoke-free in all states by the year 2010."

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The number of states with prohibitions in private sector worksites, restaurants, and/or bars rose from 8 to 25, and the number of states with no such prohibitions fell from 16 to 8, the report said.