Court Denies Smoking Ban Petition Challenge

A magistrate in Franklin County sided with the Secretary of State last week in a case involving petition signatures collected for a proposed smoking ban that has been submitted to the General Assembly. The Ohio Licensed Beverage Association asked the court to delay proceedings of the "Smoke Free Workplace Act" petition initiative due to its questions about the validity of several signatures. Magistrate Kenneth W. Macke of the 10th District Court of Appeals found in favor of Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's decision to certify the petitions.

"The magistrate holds that the Secretary was not prohibited by law from certifying the proposed law to the General Assembly until the protest procedures are exhausted and the second reports of the (county boards of elections) are returned to the Secretary," he said in the ruling. Secretary Blackwell received notice from county election boards that the petitions contained enough signatures to forward to the General Assembly and followed normal procedures. The AMC/NOMA, as a 'significant partner' to the SmokeFreeOhio Initiative, supports the proposed statewide smoking ban in the interest of public health and the safety concerns for Ohio's citizens in their workplaces and we are pleased the act may now move forward without additional encumbrances.