BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota voters have agreed to expand
the state's smoking ban to cover bars and other public places.
The state has had a limited smoking ban for seven years. The law
approved Tuesday expands the ban to bars, motels, private nursing
homes, cabs and public transportation. It also prohibits smoking
within 20 feet of an entrance to a public building.
Violations can carry a $50 fine. Bars that allow smoking in
spite of the ban could be stripped of their licenses to sell
tobacco and liquor.
Several North Dakota cities have already banned smoking in bars,
including Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks.
Twenty-nine states already have comprehensive workplace smoking
bans, including Minnesota, South Dakota and Montana.