Bars, restaurants begin new smoke-free era

Smoking in Maryland bars and restaurants is now officially banned.

At the Ebb Tide tavern on Bay Ridge Road just outside of Annapolis last night, signs informing patrons there was to be "no smoking" had yet to go up and smokers continued to puff on their cigarettes.

But the cloud of smoke hanging inside local bars will clear as local health departments work to enforce the law.

The county Health Department already has issued kits to business owners around the county reminding them of the law. Businesses that do not follow the law can receive a written warning for the first violation, a penalty of $100 for the second and $500 for the third. After that, the business will be subject to a $1,000 fine per violation.

Anyone wishing to file a complaint against an establishment that is not following the law can call their local health department or the Clean Indoor Act Help Line at 866-703-3266.

Business owners can file for an exemption to the law if they can prove that they can not follow the law for financial or other reasons.

Because of the pending change, the health department increased smoking-cessation classes and quit-smoking kits. More than 70 people signed up for smoking-cessation classes in the past month, which is double the number of people during the same time last year, said Evelyn Stein, the department's director of health information and promotion.

"This is in preparation for the Clean Indoor Act," Ms. Stein said. "I also think this is combined with the addition of a (cigarette tax increase). Smoking is even more costly. In combination of these two items is really causing people to think twice and to really get help to quit now. We're certainly encouraging that."

On Jan. 1, the state tax on cigarettes went up to $2 per pack. Maryland was one of eight states in the country to increase its cigarette tax within the last year.

Meanwhile, two lawmakers announced their plans yesterday to increase the funding for the state's tobacco prevention efforts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that states spend $63.3 million on tobacco prevention efforts. Maryland spends less than $18 million annually, officials said.

Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City) and Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden, D-Baltimore City, said they planned to get the additional funding by allocating revenue from a proposed tax increase on non-cigarette tobacco products and money from the state's 1998 tobacco settlement. This year, the state will receive an additional $28.6 million as a bonus payment from the tax settlement. The additional funding is expected to continue to the states through 2017.

Officials from the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association of Maryland and Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative said they supported the legislation. Nearly 800,000 adult smokers in Maryland and 53,600 high school students admit to being regular smokers, according to the Maryland Citizen's Health Initiative. In the county, 17 percent of adults smoke, according to the health department.

"It's very important that we get the right message out to our young people," Mr. McFadden said at a press conference yesterday. "(This legislation) will move Maryland forward and put Maryland in the forefront of this effort."

Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative, agreed. He added that he was pleased about the other efforts geared toward tobacco prevention, such as the smoking ban.

"2007 was a great year for public health in Maryland," Mr. DeMarco said. "As of (Friday), Maryland will be a smoke-free state."

Additional information about the law is available online at www.mdcleanair.org.

Staff Writer Nicole Young contributed to this report.