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Court of Appeals rules in favor of city, upholding smoking ban
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June 20, 2012
Missouri: The Missouri Court of Appeals has upheld Springfield, Missouri's smoking ban, which bans smoking indoors almost anywhere people work or the public has access. The ban was challenged by Jean Doublin, a Springfield bar owner, who argued that a provision of the 1992 Clean Air Act allowed smoking if the bar posted signs saying “making non-smoking areas unavailable”.
The city of Springfield argued that the ban simply goes farther than state law is regulating where smoking is prohibited.[1][2]
The court sided with the city, saying that the state law was meant to prohibit smoking, not to protect smokers rights.[2][1]
Another bartender expressed her disappointment in the ruling saying, “It’s just not fair. We’re a 21 (and older) bar — if you don’t know by 21 whether you want to deal with smoke or not, you shouldn’t be out in the first place.”[2] - Debra Carroll
Stephen Hall, the spokesman for One Air Alliance, said they were happy with the decision, calling it “a great legal victory for public health.”[2]
Footnotes
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