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Smoking Ban Answers

1. When will the Maryland state smoking ban take effect?
a. December 1st, 2007
b. January 1st, 2008
c. January 15th, 2008
d. February 1st, 2008
e. February 15th, 2008

The state ban will take effect February 1st, 2008. Baltimore City’s smoking ban goes into effect January 1st.

2. As of October 2007, Maryland is one of ___ states to have passed a smoke-free law that covers bars and restaurants.
a. 3
b. 8
c. 11
d. 22
e. 43

Twenty-two states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, have passed smoke-free laws that cover restaurants and bars. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

Illinois and Maryland’s laws go into effect in early 2008, while Oregon’s law goes into effect in 2009. Utah, Colorado, Montana, and Utah’s laws will include bars and gaming in 2009; currently these states do cover workplaces and restaurants.

For more information, see these resources:
Smoke-Free Laws Are a Growing Trend
Summary of 100% Smokefree State Laws and Population Protected by 100$ U.S. Smokefree Laws

3. Which of the following are NOT covered under the Maryland state smoking ban?
a. Restaurants
b. American Legion halls and other private clubs
c. Tobacco shops
d. Bars

The ban will not apply to tobacco shops. Businesses affected by the smoking ban may apply for a "hardship" waiver. These waivers expire in 2011 and cannot be renewed. The state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is to develop regulations about the waivers prior to the start of the ban. Local health departments will issue the waivers. Visit Clean Indoor Air Act on the Community Health Administration for more information.

4. A 2007 study by Johns Hopkins University showed that the concentration of air pollution inside Baltimore bars that allowed smoking was at least _____ times higher than air pollution outside.a. 2
b. 5
c. 7
d. 10
e. 20

In all of the bars surveyed, particulate matter pollution concentrations were higher than the EPA’s outdoor safety level of 35 micrograms per cubic meter. The average concentration of particulate matter in the air inside the bars was 11 times higher than outside. For more information, please read the article High Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Detected in Baltimore Bars

5. Which of the following typically decline when smoking bans are implemented?
a. restaurant and bar employment
b. cigarette sales
c. restaurant revenues
d. smoking rates
e. bar revenues

A study in the journal Tobacco Control (in 2003) offered a comprehensive review of all available studies on the economic impact of smoke-free workplace laws and concluded that: “All of the best designed studies report no impact or a positive impact of smoke-free restaurant and bar laws on sales or employment.” The Surgeon General’s 2000 Report on Reducing Tobacco Use found that smoke free laws “have been shown to decrease daily tobacco consumption and to increase smoking cessation among smokers.”

6. What percent of voters favor prohibitions on smoking in most public places (workplaces, public buildings, offices, restaurants, and bars)?
a. 30
b. 50
c. 70
d. 85

A January 2006 national poll supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that nearly 7 in 10 voters (69 percent) favor a law in their state or community that would prohibit smoking in most indoor public places, including workplaces, public buildings, offices, restaurants and bars. This includes a 59 percent majority who strongly favor such a law.

7. What county was the first in Maryland to enact a smoking ban?
a. Montgomery
b. Howard
c. Anne Arundel
d. Baltimore City
e. Wicomico

Montgomery County was the first in the state to enact a smoking ban, in 2003. Howard, Prince George’s, and Talbot counties also passed smoking bans by June of 2006. Baltimore City was the last locality in Maryland to pass a smoking ban before the state ban was enacted.