Free Republic

New Hampshire Bans Smoking In Bars, Restaurants (AP) CONCORD, N.H. New Hampshire will soon ban smoking in bars and restaurants, becoming the last state in New England to do so. The House approved a bill Thursday imposing the ban after a similar bill died in the Senate last year. Gov. John Lynch has said he will sign it, and it will take effect 90 days after he signs it. More than a dozen states and hundreds of cities and counties around the country ban smoking in restaurants, bars or both. Supporters say the ban is needed to protect workers and...

Editorial: Smoking ban proves Legislature can get things done 5/17/2007 8:56:33 AM ... The hope comes in the form of the "Freedom to Breathe Act," which Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed on Wednesday. The act, which will take effect on Oct. 1, bans smoking in virtually all bars and restaurants in the state. A statewide smoking ban was proposed in previous legislative sessions, but the bills died amid the partisan rancor that has beset the Legislature through the 2000s. This year, however, nearly equal numbers of Republican and DFL lawmakers joined together to pass the statewide smoking ban by comfortable margins...