Gov. signs statewide smoking ban into law
On June 18, Gov. Mitt Romney signed legislation to ban smoking in virtually every workplace statewide as of July 5. The legislation is intended to protect workers from the hazards of second-hand smoke, which has been classified as a Class A carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA reports that second-hand smoke kills an estimated 53,000 nonsmokers each year in the United States, including more than 1,000 in Massachusetts. By enacting a statewide ban, Massachusetts joins California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine and New York. The Legislature passed the bill on June 10.
