State Smoke-Free Laws Jump
More than half the states now prohibit smoking in indoor work areas, restaurants, and bars, an increase from zero states in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, regional disparities persist, especially in the South, where no state has adopted a law that prohibits smoking in all three venues, the CDC said. It's still possible for the United States to reach the Healthy People 2000 target of smoke-free indoor work sites in all 50 states by 2020, the report said. “Tremendous progress has been made during the past decade to protect workers and patrons from the hazardous effects of secondhand smoke,” the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said in a statement, but the organization called for more states to act quickly.