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Home > What's New > Michigan Passes State Smoking Ban
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Michigan Passes State Smoking Ban
Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009
By David Savona
Michigan's state Senate and House passed a smoking ban that will make indoor smoking illegal, save for gambling areas, cigar bars and cigar shops. The measure, HB 4377, passed by a vote of 24 to 13 in the Senate and was overwhelmingly approved by the House in a vote of 75 to 30.
The legislation will become law when Gov. Jennifer Granholm signs it; she has come out in favor of such legislation, according to press reports from Michigan. The law will go into effect May 1.
Exemptions to the legislation include cigar bars, tobacco stores and casinos. A smoking ban had been in the works for years. "The bill was a product of compromise and support from several different major entities in the state, including the casino and health lobby, and the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers association and the Cigar Association of America," said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR. "The bill also had the support of most IPCPR retailers in the state. Without this compromise bill, we would have most likely faced a difficult, costly, and likely loss in fighting a no-exemptions smoking ban bill that would have gone to a ballot vote in 2010."
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