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Clearing the air: Voters approve smoking ban by wide margin
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/3/2009

Here’s the good news, smokers: You’ve got over a year to get used to puffing outside.
Voters in St. Louis County have overwhelmingly approved a ban on smoking in restaurants and most other indoor businesses. The vote means that smoke-free legislation approved by St. Louis aldermen — which was contingent on a similar proposal passing in the county — will also become law.
Both the county and city prohibitions will not go into effect until January 2011. And both measures contain plenty of exceptions.
In the county, “drinking establishments,” defined as bars who make a quarter or less of their sales from food, can still allow smoking. In the city, “small bars,” those with no more than 2,000 square feet of service space, will have five extra years to comply.
Casinos floors in St. Louis city and county will also be exempt.
The margin of victory leaves little room for interpretation. Though turnout was relatively light– about 20 percent — the smoking ban won with 65 percent of the vote.

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