Reno, Nev. – Is Nevada, the Wild West of vice, becoming a bunch of citified goody-goodies? Nevada voters last week approved a ballot measure banning smoking at bars that serve food, and around the slot machines at supermarkets, gas stations and convenience stores.
The vote came as a surprise to many. Nevada, after all, is the home of all-night casino gambling, on-the-house booze, all- you-can-eat buffets and legalized prostitution.
Tourists are openly invited to indulge their vices and get naughty. (“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” as the winking slogan goes.)
The outcome of the election suggested to some that the city slickers and the baby boomers are exerting their influence in this fast-growing state of about 2.5 million.
“While we encourage people to come here and do things that are bad for them, we also have a growing baby-boomer population,” said Michael Green, a history professor at the Community College of Southern Nevada. “And that population is probably a bit more health-conscious and might not want to be exposed to secondhand smoke.”
Eric Herzik, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, said, “It’s a far more urban and thus regulated environment, and smoking is part of that.”
Nevada has the nation’s highest rate of smoking-related deaths and one of the lowest rates of smoke-free workplaces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The measure does not apply to the gambling areas at casinos, which are the most powerful industry in the state and the engine of Nevada’s economy. Anti- smoking forces said the big casinos have good ventilation systems and do not allow children.
