Smoking ban tabled by budget crisis

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

East Lansing, MI – Rick Pluta (Michigan Public Radio Network)

A ban on smoking in most Michigan workplaces will have to wait until after the state's budget crisis is resolved. State Representative Bert Johnson chairs the legislative committee discussing the issue.

He says a smoking ban will need the support of the House and the Senate.

But, he says, the leadership of both chambers is focused on the state's billion-dollar budget emergency.

Johnson has opposed a smoking ban that does not exempt Detroit's casinos.

The city's gaming industry says a ban would drive away customers.

Anti-tobacco activists say they're disappointed, and think the legislature should be able to handle more than one big issue at a time.