A Thank You to the Voters of Nevada

Although I enjoy visiting Las Vegas (as I am right now), one thing that always bugged me about coming here was the oppressive odor of cigarette smoke everywhere you went. Living in California, most smoking in public places has been banned and you can go to the mall or restaurant without coming home smelling like an ashtray. Such was not the case in Vegas. Smoking seemed to go hand-in-hand with gambling, and I doubted that the anti-smoking forces would ever make headway against the powerful casino industry.

This trip I noticed an immediate difference and discovered the reason why. The voters of this state enacted the Clean Indoor Air Act which went into effect on Dec 8, 2006. We were here just last November and the change is remarkable. Smoking is no longer allowed in restaurants - even in casino hotels - and in most public areas where children are allowed to loiter. Although there is still a presence of smoke in the air, it's not a pervasive as it was. Employees of the hotels who wish to smoke are now banished to outdoor "employee smoking areas", such as the one we saw outside of Excalibur yesterday. Here's what the Act says:

The Act states that smoking tobacco in any form is prohibited within indoor places of employment including:

Public and private school buildings and on public and private school grounds
Child care facilities with five or more children
All areas of grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores
All indoor areas within restaurants, including those in casinos or gaming establishments
Bars, taverns and saloons that serve food
Shopping malls and retail establishments
Video arcades
Government buildings and public places
Movie theaters

The Act states that smoking is permitted in:

Areas within casinos where loitering by minors is already prohibited by state law per NRS 463.350
Stand-alone bars, taverns and saloons that do not serve food
Strip clubs and brothels
Retail tobacco stores
Private residences, including private residences that may serve as an office workplace, except if used as a child care, adult day care or health care facility
Question 5 also permits local governments to adopt regulations more restrictive than state law.

Good job, Nevadans! You've made visits to Sin City a lot more tolerable, and certainly more pleasant for those of us who don't smoke and don't particularly want to be around it. If you're going to sit at a slot machine, there's still the chance that someone puffing away will sit next to you, but you no longer have to deal with that in the restaurants and other public areas.

Now, voters of Nevada, you still have one job to do. You've made the Vegas environment much better with the smoking ban, but can you do something about the Washington environment and get rid of Harry Reid?