Anne Arundel County Update
Arundel smoking ban proposed
January 10, 2007
Robert J. Terry
Robert J. Terry
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold called for a ban Wednesday on smoking in bars and restaurants — and the Anne Arundel County Council moved just as quickly to snuff the proposal out, at least for the time being.
Leopold, Arundel’s new Republican chief executive, said in a statement a “high cancer rate in this county” made passing the ban a priority. He asked the County Council to pass legislation expanding current protection for other workplaces, such as hospitals and government buildings.
But County Council Chairman Ronald C. Dillon Jr. said the proposed legislation was being returned to Leopold, to delay discussion or action in order to see if the Maryland General Assembly would pass a statewide ban.
“If the General Assembly adjourns without passing any such legislation, I will allow this bill to be introduced,” Dillon said in a statement. “This action is in no way a statement of position regarding this bill. I respect County Executive Leopold’s leadership and commitment to public health issues in Anne Arundel County and the state of Maryland.”
A ban would make Anne Arundel County the latest jurisdiction in the state to enact such a law.
A bill that would ban smoking in Baltimore’s bars and restaurants passed a key Baltimore City Council committee in November. It now awaits approval by the full council.
The anti-smoking bill was introduced in 2005 by Baltimore City Councilman Robert W. Curran.
Several Baltimore restaurateurs have come out in support of the effort to ban smoking in Baltimore City restaurants. But many Maryland restaurant owners and the Restaurant Association of Maryland have argued that a smoking ban would be bad for business.
Though Howard, Prince George’s, Montgomery and Talbot County have banned smoking in bars and restaurants, a similar ban in Baltimore City would be particularly detrimental, critics say, due to the number of establishments that cater to a working-class or collegiate crowd. Though efforts to pass a statewide smoking ban have failed for three years, the measure has gained steam each year.
