Friday, 1 April 2005 :: 12:09 pm

No More Smoking in Wayne County at Work

In Wayne County, smoking at work is going to be a thing of the past. The only exception to this rule is the city of Detroit, which is going to debate this issue at a later date. It includes all the cities in suburban Detroit.

This new law should go into effect in about 90 days or three months. It was something that the United Auto Workers (UAW) union opposed. The new law does not apply to restaurants, bars, bingo halls, casinos and tobacco shops.

The new law was designed to save lives. Smokers are said to have cancers and other diseases. Those who sit near people who are smoking are just as bad with secondhand smoke.

Wayne County Commissioners passed the new law with a 7-2 vote. The UAW wrote letters to the commissioners and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. However, they did not change the end result.

Smoking rooms will be checked to ensure that they have proper ventilation. Smokers who choose to do so outside must stand more than 6 feet away from the door.

What are the consequences? The first time is a warming, the second is a $100 fine. The third time you are caught results in a $500 fine and thereafter.

The question has been raised: Will Oakland and Macomb counties sign on with a similar legislation? We don't know yet but time will tell.

What about the city of Detroit?

Detroit is the largest city in Wayne County. They are not included in this new legislation. They have their own health department who will debate this issue later this month.

They have two choices. They could either sign on and create an entire county-wide smoking ban. They could disagree and the city would be exempt from all smoking laws.

This is not something new. Seven other states in our county have similar smoking bans. Those are New York, Massachusetts, California, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware. In those states, they prohibit smoking everywhere, even in restaurants and bars.

Sources:

The Detroit Free Press