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Sure, visit the prostitute, but don't be smoking

Nevada, the land of vices, has voted to limit smoking. Most other naughty habits are still okay.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 15, 2006

RENO, Nev. - Is Nevada, the Wild West of vice, becoming a bunch of citified goody-goodies?

Nevada voters last week approved a ballot measure banning smoking at bars that serve food, and around the slot machines at supermarkets, gas stations and convenience stores.

The vote came as a surprise to many. Nevada, after all, is the home of all-night casino gambling, on-the-house booze, all-you-can-eat buffets and legalized prostitution. Tourists are openly invited to indulge their vices and get naughty. Smoking has long been regarded as what you do with your other hand while gambling.

The outcome of last week's election suggested to some that the city slickers and baby boomers are exerting their influence in this fast-growing state.

"Nevada has had a libertarian reputation and has tried to uphold it, but that has been slipping away for quite a while," said Michael Green, a history professor at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

"While we encourage people to come here and do things that are bad for them, we also have a growing baby boomer population. And that population is probably a bit more health-conscious and might not want to be exposed to secondhand smoke."

Nevada has the nation's highest rate of smoking-related deaths and one of the lowest rates of smoke-free workplaces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Question 5, or the Clean Indoor Air Act, was backed by public health groups and passed 54 percent to 46 percent. It bans smoking in any bars that serve meals, as well as in slot machine sections of grocery and convenience stores, and at video arcades, shopping malls, schools and day care centers.

The measure does not apply to the gambling areas at casinos, which are the most powerful industry in the state. Antismoking forces said the big casinos have good ventilation systems and do not allow children.

[Last modified November 15, 2006, 01:53:57]