Will St. Mary’s and Calvert follow Charles? 

Southern Maryland was once a tobacco country, and at one point tobacco was a primary cash crop for the area. Now, however, legislation and incentives have persuaded most farmers to stop growing the broad-leaved annuals, and it looks like smoking tobacco in public may soon be a thing of the past, too.   

Effective June 15, the Charles County Commissioners banned smoking in public places and limited the placement of tobacco products in business establishments.

Among the stipulations of the new ban is one stating that tobacco products cannot be within reach of purchasers, and must require assistance from the seller (with the obvious exception of vending machines).

Public places, where the ban is in effect, include areas that were effectively smokefree prior to the legislation, such as retail stores, elevators, convention halls, restrooms, theaters, libraries, museums, school buildings, and meeting rooms. However, the new rules extend the ban to service lines, sports arenas, buildings and grounds under the control of any board, council, commission or agency of the county, and perhaps most significantly, eating and drinking establishments.

Eating and Drinking Establishments are defined as “enterprises that prepare or sells food or drink for human consumption on or off premises.” This includes but is not limited to: restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, short order cafes, luncheonettes, sandwich stands, soda fountains, hospitals, clubs, schools, churches, catering kitchens, and camps.

Bars are the important exception to the ban. Thus, in Charles County smoking is still allowed in bars that meet the requirements of being classified as “non-restaurants.” They must be establishments that serve alcohol for consumption within the premises, and make at least half of their annual gross revenues from the sale of alcohol. Smoking is no longer permitted within bars located in any portion of a restaurant, or any bar sharing an entrance, heating, ventilation or HVAC systems with other businesses.

In addition the ban also excludes tobacconist establishments (store used primarily for the sale of tobacco products) and private/non-profit clubs.

Hotels and motels are allowed to designate no more than 40% of their sleeping rooms as smoking, and fraternal, religious and patriotic organizations, and fire and rescue squads may also designate up to 40% of premises for smoking.

The Charles County Commissioners voted unanimously to enact the bill, citing numerous studies that have found tobacco smoke to be a “major contributor” to indoor air pollution, and shown that breathing secondhand smoke causes diseases such as lung cancer.  “At special risk are elderly people, children, people with cardiovascular disease, and individuals with impaired respiratory function, including asthmatics and those with obstructive airway disease; and health hazards induced by breathing secondhand smoke include lung cancer, respiratory infection, decreased exercise tolerance, decreased respiratory function, bronchoconstriction, and bronchospasm,” stated the commissioners.

According to a state-wide coalition to reduce tobacco-caused illness and death, Smoke Free Maryland: “Over 8,000 Marylanders die each year because of direct and passive smoking.  Thous