Yay for North Carolina!

North Carolina is...

wait for it...



going NON-SMOKING!


Woohoo! Governor Bev Purdue signed into law May 19, 2009 a smoking ban for all bars, restaurants, and government buildings and govt cars. Smoking will be allowed in private clubs (including country clubs). The ban goes into effect Jan 2, 2010, but the law allows local governments to regulate smoking more strictly as of July 5, 2009. I'm under the impression from a local bar owner that Winston-Salem is adopting the laws in July.

I work for WFU School of Medicine, which is attached to the hospital, and smoking was allowed IN the buildings into the 1990s. Smoking on hospital property was banned last summer, and they are still having trouble enforcing that ban. Which means this new ban for North Carolina is a HUGE step. Smoking is still actually allowed in one of our satellite campuses, but that has more to do with the fact that it is on RJ Reynolds property.

I'm thrilled to be living in a state where my vote counts, and we do amazing things like ban smoking in BARS!!