Tobacco.org

Ohio smoking bans: Up in smoke? 

Officials in Belmont County said there is no organized movement whatsoever to institute the same type of indoor smoking ban on a county level like the one pending in the Wheeling area. Statewide efforts continue to brew in Ohio, as do attempts to pass smoking ban legislation in a number of municipalities across the state.

In Ohio, however, the matter of placing restrictions on indoor smoking in public places is not one that is expected to be addressed by Belmont County officials or health departments in any other county.

"There's nothing ... zero," said Belmont County Commissioner Mark Thomas. "There is no movement because we have no teeth in the law to do so. In Ohio, the counties do not have the statutory authority to implement a smoking ban.

"More importantly, neither do county health departments."

In light of the situation pending in Ohio County, Thomas said this issue, as it pertains to Belmont County, has been discussed by a number of local officials, including Belmont County Health Department Director Harold "Rusty" Vermillion and Dr. William Mercer, director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.

Jump to full article »