Freedom to Breathe Act
Encyclopedia
The Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007 is a piece of Minnesota
legislation that restricts the act of smoking tobacco
products in public places. It amends sections of Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) of 1975.
-Freeport
), says that the ban will hurt small enterprises and presented a kink in the State's plan. He stated, "You are going to vote them out of business tonight." Likewise, Dennis Ozment, (R
-Rosemount
), stated that the passage of the bill is "tyranny, oppressive governmental power... This piece of legislation turned out to be just plain mean,"
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
legislation that restricts the act of smoking tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
products in public places. It amends sections of Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) of 1975.
Contents of Act & Controversy
On May 16, 2007, the U.S. state of Minnesota passed the Freedom to Breathe Act. This act protects the public from hazardous secondhand smoke by banning smoking in public places. The ban took effect October 1, 2007. Minnesota is the 17th state to enforce a statewide smoking ban. The original and major supporters of the 1975 regulations are very pleased to see the new doctrine pass through legislation and sign into law. In an inForum online article, Don Davis quoted several House Republicans against the bill. Representative Bud Heidgerken, (RRepublican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
-Freeport
Freeport, Minnesota
Freeport is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 632 at the 2010 census. It is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Freeport is located in Oak Township, T125N R32W §3...
), says that the ban will hurt small enterprises and presented a kink in the State's plan. He stated, "You are going to vote them out of business tonight." Likewise, Dennis Ozment, (R
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
-Rosemount
Rosemount, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,619 people, 4,742 households, and 3,931 families residing in the city. The population density was 434.2 people per square mile . There were 4,845 housing units at an average density of 143.9 per square mile...
), stated that the passage of the bill is "tyranny, oppressive governmental power... This piece of legislation turned out to be just plain mean,"
Precedence
The 2007 anti-smoking act was not the first in the state to pass into law. The Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) took in effect 1975. The purpose of this act was to enforce the "protection of the public health." It prohibited smoking in areas where children, ill or injured are present. This first Minnesota act also limited smoking indoor at public places and private meetings.Where is smoking permitted?
Smoking is permitted in the following places:- Specified rooms in residential health care facilities
- Separated, well-ventilated areas of locked psychiatric units
- Specified areas for use in peer-reviewed scientific studies related to smoking
- Private homes and residences when they are not in use as a place of employment
- Hotel and motel guest rooms
- Tobacco products shops for the purpose of sampling products
- Heavy commercial vehicles
- Farm vehicles and construction equipment
- Buildings on family farms
- Disabled veterans' rest camp
- Smoking is also permitted by Native Americans as part of a traditional Native American spiritual or cultural ceremony and by actors as part of a theatrical performance.
- Smoking outside, unless it is limited or prohibited by local government.
I Can't Smoke Indoors. What's Considered "Indoors"?
An indoor area is defined as the space between a floor and a ceiling that is bounded by walls covering more than 50 percent of the perimeter of the area. Temporary physical barriers are considered walls, but certain window screens are not.See also
- SmokingSmokingSmoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
- List of smoking bans
- List of smoking bans in the United States
- MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...