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Court ruling could prompt review of local smoking bans 

Beaufort County's smoking ban, which includes possible jail time, differs from the smoking ban upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Monday.

Part of the decision Monday that gave local government the right to pass smoking bans in public places said it is unconstitutional to "criminalize conduct." However, some local smoking bans do just that.

Only state law can make an infraction criminal, in that a possible penalty would include jail time.

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