Government
Ky. Supreme Court ruling backs local smoking bans
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 17, 2004
Local governments in Kentucky have the right to pass laws prohibiting smoking in public buildings, including bars and restaurants, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in late April. "The ordinance banning smoking in public places is permitted to go into effect," the court wrote.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government in 2003 became the first local government in Kentucky to pass a ban on the state's No. 1 cash crop. Before the law took effect, the Lexington-Fayette County Food and Beverage Assn. challenged it, arguing that business owners should have the right to make decisions about their businesses.
The AMA/State Medical Society Litigation Center, along with the Kentucky Medical Assn., Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights and the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, filed a brief urging the court to uphold the law. The organizations argued that ordinances like the one passed in the Lexington area are important to improving public health.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/05/17/gvbf0517.htm.
