Way back when, smoking was perceived as sophisticated and healthy. All the famous movie stars of the black and white film age were always depicted with a cigarette in their hand. Now, filmmakers get the proverbial slap on the hand when they depict their main characters smoking. The views on smoking have some a long way. Now there are smoking laws in many countries around the world including the United States.

No smoking laws were created once the real truth about secondhand smoke came about. Before laws against smoking were past, non-smokers just had to grin and bear it when surrounded by the stinky haze of smoke. Then, when scientists and researchers started tying in secondhand smoke to increased risks of cancer and other illnesses, laws of smoking started coming under scrutiny and anti-smoking activists didn’t like it.

Smoking laws are being passed every year on the city and state level. As of yet, there are no smoking laws that have been passed on the federal government level. However, are laws against smoking going to be on the agenda soon? The problem is that laws on smoking are so open to interpretation and each state has slightly smoking laws on the books.

For instance, the Ohio smoking law that just went into effect supercedes any smoking laws that were made at the city level. It bans smoking in the workplace as well as closed in public places, restaurants and bars. However, you go to Texas and there are no state level smoking laws. They are all by city. Across the border in Ontario Canada, smoking laws now encompass no smoking in any enclosed public place from restaurants to events held outdoors in large tents.

States such as Arkansas and Louisiana have passed laws on second hand smoke and children. Basically, the gist of these smoking around children laws in these states and others say that you cannot smoke in front of kids in your own home or inside your car. Many people are praising this particular law because it will protect the children. Of course, some smokers are up in arms about it. What is next non-smoking state laws banning all forms of smoking? That is the worry of some smokers.

In regards to teen smoking laws, most states put the legal age to buy cigarettes at age eighteen. Some states like Texas are proposing to rise the age to nineteen. However some feel that this smoking law won’t do much in the scheme of things. These kids are going to get their nicotine fix in some other way, rather quite easily. Of course, this doesn’t stop other states from passing laws in under age smoking. Some report that these new smoking laws are making some difference while others claim that future laws against smoking need to be contemplated. Do you know what some of the smoking laws around you are? If you are a smoker, you might want to read up on them.