Kauai Council to weigh
restaurant smoking ban

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Associated Press

LIHUE >> Kauai could become the next island to ban smoking in restaurants.

A proposal to institute a smoking ban is scheduled to be heard before the Council's Finance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Wednesday.

At a Council-sponsored public hearing last week, 30 people spoke in favor of amending a county bill that controls smoking in restaurants.

Audience members suggested that any ban be equal to or stricter than a measure passed this year by the Honolulu City Council banning smoking in most restaurants on Oahu. Some residents also suggested that a ban apply to every Kauai restaurant and retail space regardless of size.

The Oahu ban took effect July 1. It allows smoking in restaurant bar areas only if they have a separate ventilation system and are separated by a floor-to-ceiling wall. Lighting up in outdoor restaurants and in separate open-air sections of restaurants also is allowed under strict criteria.

Maui County also is considering a proposal to ban smoking in restaurants.

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County of Kauai