SPEAK OUT: County Council Approves Smoking Ban ... Do You?

Need a cigarette break? Better be careful where you go to have that smoke.

The Montgomery County Council approved Tuesday a ban of smoking on most county-owned or county-leased property. The ban was approved with the following recommended amendments from the Health and Human Services Commission:

• It prohibits smoking at bus stops and bus shelters.
• It allows the Director of Health and Human Services to designate outdoor smoking areas on certain county properties.
• It does not prohibit smoking on golf courses. 
• It prohibits smoking at county-owned residences, but includes a grandfather clause allowing existing tenants to smoke.

The bill will allow the Director of Health and Human Services to designate outdoor smoking areas on certain county properties.

“There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke,” Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park said in a statement. “We are stewards of public health. The passage of [the smoking ban] will help us to protect our residents, employees and visitors from dangerous exposure. I applaud my colleagues for standing with me and sending a clear signal that we are a healthy Montgomery."

SPEAK OUT: What's your take on Montgomery County's new smoking ban? Do you think it will significantly reduce exposure to secondhand smoke or does it serve more as an inconvenience to those who choose to smoke? Tell us in the comments.

Related Coverage:

•  (Jan. 25, 2013)
•  (Jan. 22, 2013)
• VIDEO: Montgomery Looks to Broaden its Ban on Smoking (Nov. 16, 2012)
• Floreen Seeks Smoking Ban at All County Property (Nov. 13, 2012)