Smoking ban signed into law
by Brittany Szczepanik, Co-Editor-in-Chief
 A new smoking ban has been passed for the state of Iowa. This ban will go into effect July 1. The Iowa Smoke Free Air Act was signed by Governor Chet Culver on April 15 and outlines specifically where smoking is permitted and where it is outlawed. The places where smoking is prohibited include, but are not limited to, the following locations: all public areas, enclosed areas within places of employment, outdoor seating or serving areas, public transit stations and, most applicably to Cornell, on all school grounds.
In the very beginning of the act, the general assembly gives a brief description of the fact that nonsmokers are exposed to potential adverse health effects from secondhand smoke, which is why they believe this smoking ban is necessary for Iowa: “The purpose of this chapter is to reduce the level of exposure by the general public and employees to environmental tobacco smoke in order to improve the public health of Iowans.” Although the bill’s purpose is clearly stated in this document, Diane Crowder, a smoker and faculty representative on Cornell’s committee for the Iowa smoking ban, feels that the law itself could benefit from further clarification. She said, “The law is poorly written and a lot of people are confused.” Crowder continued, “I think it sounds like they intended it for K-12 schools.”
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