St. Louis County smoking ban approved

KSDK -- St. Louis County voters have passed a smoking ban that will have a far reaching affect for businesses in both the county and St. Louis City.

• Read the entire 'Proposition N' legislation by clicking here

With all 480 precincts reporting in, 'Proposition N' was approved by nearly a two to one margin, 65.3 percent to 34.7 percent. More than 137,000 votes were cast, resulting in less than a 20 percent total voter turnout.

Many supporters and opponents agreed that regardless of the elections outcome, voters made the decision, not legislators.

"First, it's a public health issue, but it's also about what we want to be as a city," said St. Louis City Mayor Francis Slay. "...It's about time we get up to speed with what's happening all over the country."

Tuesdays night's ballot results will change the smoking policy for all of St. Louis City, yet not a single city resident is voting on the issue.

Last month, the city's Board of Alderman passed a smoking ban that would prohibit smoking in most bars and restaurants in town. There are exceptions that allow for smoking in casinos, some hotel rooms, tobacco shops and private clubs. But neither ban goes into effect until 2011.

Alderwoman Lyda Krewson sponsored the city's legislation and she says it's not exactly the ban she set out to implement, but she does believe the city's can make a difference in public health.

"There are some who say it's not strong enough, but it's a pragmatic approach to getting most of the way there," Krewson said.

And the city ban will take effect even later for small bars, with most of their business coming from alcohol sales.

The American Cancer Society released the following statement late Tuesday evening after the final vote was tallied:

"While it's clear that Proposition N does not deliver smoke-free protections to all workers, voters in St. Louis County have overwhelmingly voiced their support for smoke-free indoor air. The passage of this measure confirms that smoke-free laws are uniformly popular with the vast majority of the public and brings critical momentum toward achieving meaningful health protection from secondhand smoke for all people who live and work in St. Louis County.

"The focus now will be on delivering health protection from secondhand smoke for those workers who still do not have it - those in bars and casinos. The American Cancer Society is strongly committed to the hard work that remains to give everyone in the St. Louis region smoke-free protection."