Two More Southern States Ban Smoking

Virginia and North Carolina are joining the growing list of states restricting smoking in restaurants, the Associated Press reported Nov. 30

Restaurants in Virginia that want to continue having a smoking section now  have to seat smokers in rooms that use ventilation systems that are separate from those used in non-smoking areas.

Tom Lisk, a Virginia restaurant lobbyist who opposed the restrictions, predicts that only about 10 percent of Virginia restaurants will continue to have smoking areas. “A number of them, because of the requirement in the law to create or construct a separate room, don’t have the wherewithal to do it, so they’re just banning smoking altogether,” he said.

Smoking will still be allowed on patios and in private membership clubs in Virginia. 

North Carolina’s law, which takes effect on Jan. 2, will ban smoking inside restaurants and will only allow people to light up on the patios and in private membership clubs.