Michigan Senate Deals Blow To Smoking Ban..

December 12, 2007 - Michigan Senate Deals Blow To Smoking Ban.. Efforts to ban smoking in Michigan bars, restaurants and other workplaces have hit a road block in the state Senate after being passed by the state House. Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, said the ban was bad for business. In other words, the inconvenience those businesses might endure is too great a sacrifice just to improve public health. (thetimesherald.com) "Michigan is one of the most disappointing states when it comes to protecting kids from tobacco and currently spends only a fraction of what the CDC recommends for tobacco prevention," William V. Corr, Executive Director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. ("Michigan ranks 47th in funding programs to prevent youths from smoking" by Santiago Esparza, The Detroit News, 12/12/2007) Detroit is now the poorest city in America, with fully one-third of its residents living below the official federal poverty level. Nearly one half of the city’s children, 47.8 percent, live below the poverty level. Smokefree Laws in U.S. States/Commonwealths/Dist