Smoking in Public Places Webinar Series: Understanding Local Authority to Regulate Smoking

In January 2010, a sweeping new statewide law governing smoking in public places went into effect. It prohibits smoking in most restaurants and bars and grants local government’s new authority to regulate smoking in many other public places. The School of Government, in partnership with the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, developed a five-part webinar series.

• The first three webinars reviewed the new law and offered answers to some early questions related to implementation. They were offered in the fall and winter of 2009 and were supported by grant funds awarded to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch.
• The fourth webinar was offered in September 2010 and focused on the enforcement challenges facing local governments across the state. During the 1.5 hour program, we heard about enforcement strategies in Guilford, Orange and Pitt counties. We also heard from Maggie Mahoney, from the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium and Elleveve Donahue from the Division of Public Health, about the types of constitutional challenges facing North Carolina’s law.
• The fifth webinar was offered February 11, 2011 and addressed the authority of local governments to regulate smoking within their jurisdictions. More details and registration information is below.

Understanding Local Authority to Regulate Smoking

One of the big changes in the new law is the expanded authority of local governments to regulate smoking on local government grounds and in public places. During this webinar, we will review the authority of local governments to regulate smoking, discuss recent survey data related to local laws, and identify some of lessons learned from jurisdictions that have adopted local laws.