Law would snuff outdoor smoking.
Jump to full article: Examiner.com (National), 2009-04-07
Author: Linda Hersey
Intro: Joe Camel may be banned from outdoor bars and restaurants, if a Portland lawmaker has her way.
Rep. Joan Cohen, a first-term Democrat, wants smoking prohibited from decks and patios at dining and drinking establishments in Maine. The proposed state law is modeled after a similar measure adopted in 2008 by the city of Portland.
"We can visit any bar or restaurant in Maine and be assured that we will not have to contend with smoke," said Cohen, speaking before the Health and Human Services Committee last week.
"But on beautiful summer days, we have to make an unfortunate choice: dine outdoors and inhale smoke, or eat inside."
Cohen's district covers all of Portland and parts of Falmouth, a suburb just north of Portland.
Her bill won an endorsement from the Health and Human Services Committee.
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