Apr 17, 2007 11:11 am US/Central
Statewide Smoking Ban May Affect Farm Buildings
St. Paul (AP) ―
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The bill's author, Representative Tom Huntley of Duluth, says he's not sure the bill would affect farmers, but says the proposal is meant to protect the health of all workers. (File)
CBS
The proposed statewide smoking ban being considered by the Minnesota Legislature could prohibit farm workers from smoking inside farm buildings.
House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and Representative Torrey Westrom say they fear that farmers would have to enforce the smoking ban. The issue came up during a House committee hearing.
Westrom questioned whether the state wants government to be making such decisions for the farmers.
The bill's author, Representative Tom Huntley of Duluth, says he's not sure the bill would affect farmers, but says the proposal is meant to protect the health of all workers.
The House Finance Committee sent the smoking ban to the full House, but some lawmakers say they'll try to change it.
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Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of preventable death in the United
States. In 2005, it was estimated that, each year, exposure to
secondhand smoke in the United States kills more than 3,000 adult
nonsmokers from lung cancer and approximately 46,000 from coronary
heart disease.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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