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· Maryland
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Council Supports Partial Limits
Jump to full article: The Washington Post, 2005-11-24
Author: Amit R. Paley Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, November 24, 2005; Page B01
Intro: A majority of Howard County Council members said yesterday that they will oppose a complete ban on smoking in the county's restaurants and bars, eliminating for now the possibility of a smoke-free zone that would cover the District and its most populous Maryland suburbs.
The move puts Howard on a different course from some other counties in the Washington area, which have recently made dining and drinking a smoke-free experience. Montgomery and Prince George's are among three Maryland counties that have passed bans, and the District is expected to approve a similar measure within months.
"It is too extreme of a position to pass a complete ban," said Council member Christopher J. Merdon (R-Northeast County).
A majority of the five-member council -- David A. Rakes (D-East Columbia), Charles C. Feaga (R-West County) and Merdon -- said they would support a partial ban exempting restaurants and bars that now allow smoking. Many establishments spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with a 1996 law banning smoking in venues without separately ventilated areas.
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