Virginia Going Smoke Free
By Lon Wagner
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 10, 2009
VIRGINIA BEACH
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine signed legislation Monday that bans smoking in bars and restaurants in Virginia, a state that first traded in tobacco nearly four centuries ago.
The ban takes effect Dec. 1 and covers just about any public place people would eat or drink. A restaurant, under the law, can offer a smoking section only if that area is walled off and has its own ventilation. Private clubs are exempt except when being used for a function to which the general public is invited.
And while the bill purposefully makes this clear, it will ban smoking in all bars by defining “bars,” along with almost everything else – including, at times, private clubs – as public places:
“Public place” means any enclosed area to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted, including but not limited to, banks, bars, restaurants, educational facilities, healthcare facilities, hotel and motel lobbies, laundromats, public transportation facilities, reception areas, retail food production and marketing establishments, retail services establishments, retail stores, shopping malls, sports arenas, theaters, and waiting rooms. “Public place” shall include a private club when being used for a function to which the general public is invited; however, a private residence is not a “public place” unless being used as a child care, adult day care, or healthcare facility.
