It has been ten years today (December 6, 2012) since North Dakota created a law that protects people from exposure to secondhand smoke.
Every county in the state voted in favor of the law; advancing public health by protecting workers, residents and visitors from secondhand smoke exposure in public places and places of employment.
What is Covered by North Dakota’s Smoke-Free Law?
- In all enclosed areas of public places and places of employment such as restaurants, bars, truck stops, guest rooms and common areas within hotels and motels, healthcare facilities, long-term care centers, assisted living centers, licensed adult day care facilities, retail tobacco stores, hookah establishments, workplace vehicles, charitable gambling and gaming licensed facilities, and places of public access that may be leased for private functions.
- Enclosed area means all space between a floor and ceiling that has thirty-three percent or more of the surface area of its perimeter bounded by opened or closed walls, windows or doorways. A wall includes any physical barrier regardless of whether it is open or closed.
- Within twenty (20) feet of entrances, exits, operable windows, air intakes and ventilation systems of an establishment in which smoking is prohibited by the law.
The use of electronic cigarettes is prohibited in all places where smoking is not allowed under the law.
The law does not restrict smoking at private residences, in areas not commonly accessible to the public, at outdoor places that are more than 20 feet from entrances or exits, and lastly, anything that is part of a traditional American Indian spiritual or cultural ceremony.
To access the law, related information and a violation reporting tool, visit the BreatheND Web site.
Best Practice Brief Series: Tobacco Cessation and Nicotine Addiction
Great Plains QIN and the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care hosted a Best Practice Brief Series recently on tobacco cessation and nicotine addiction. Access the Series. Best Practice Briefs are 20-minute micro-learning sessions to highlight successful system and policy change. The briefs are short, to the point, and real. Real people and real processes that really work!