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Kaine highlights approaching ban on restaurant smoking 

"It's not a very good condiment."

So, Perly's Restaurant & Deli was a logical place for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to kick off a countdown to Virginia's upcoming ban on smoking in restaurants, which takes effect Dec. 1.

Kaine, accompanied by the state health commissioner, Dr. Karen Remley, crisscrossed the commonwealth yesterday, dropping by eateries to extol the virtues of smoke-free dining.

Twenty-six other states and the District of Columbia already ban smoking in restaurants. In 2006, Kaine issued an executive order prohibiting smoking in state offices.

Currently, 70 percent of Virginia's restaurants are smoke-free.

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