Council postpones request on smoking

Dan Kulin

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002 | 9:53 a.m.

The North Las Vegas Council on Wednesday put off deciding whether to ask the state Legislature to give local governments the authority to pass stricter smoking laws until after Clark County voters weigh in on the issue.

The mayor and council were scheduled to vote on a measure that would have asked state lawmakers to change Nevada law so local governments could "impose more stringent restrictions on the smoking, use, sale, distribution, marketing, display or promotion of tobacco or products made from tobacco," according to the proposed city resolution.

Instead the mayor and council agreed to postpone acting on the resolution until Nov. 6, a day after Clark County voters act on two related ballot questions.

Question 12 asks if the county government should be able adopt stronger smoking regulations to protect people from secondhand smoke.

Question 13 asks if smoking should be prohibited in places "frequented by children such as schools, grocery stores, restaurants, and government buildings."

Both questions are advisory only.

During the 2001 Legislature a Senate panel killed a proposal to let local governments establish tougher anti-smoking laws than those authorized by the state. State law prohibits local governments from having smoking laws that are stricter than the state's.