July 11th 2006

Today, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle signed comprehensive smokefree workplace legislation.  The law, which takes effect November 16, will provide clean air for virtually all workers, including restaurant and bar workers.  The law also requires building entrances to be smokefree.

"It was not long ago when we believed that non-smoking sections in restaurants or on airplanes were sufficient to keep secondhand smoke away," said Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle. "Now that we have concrete research about the serious dangers of secondhand smoke and we know that tobacco is a leading cause of preventable death, it is critical that we do all we can to protect the health of our residents and visitors by providing public venues that are truly smokefree. Hawaii's new smokefree law will save lives."

The following chart details the status of smokefree workplace laws.

	U.S. Smokefree Workplace Legislation
	Smokefree Offices	Smokefree Restaurants	Smokefree Bars	Casinos (non-Indian)
California
Delaware
New York
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington
Puerto Rico
Hawaii
Washington DC			effective 2007	effective 2007
Montana			effective 2009	effective 2009
Utah			effective 2009	effective 2009
New Jersey
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Arkansas
North Dakota
Louisiana
South Dakota
Maryland
Guam

Worldwide, the entire countries of Ireland, Italy, Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Uganda, Malta, Uruguay, and Bhutan have enacted comprehensive smokefree workplace legislation, including smokefree restaurants and bars.