By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – St. Louis County Councilman Kurt Odenwald is taking another stab at banning smoking in the county.
Odenwald will introduce two bills tonight: One to set up a ban and the other to put the question to voters. The ban would only go into effect if county voters approve it.
Smoking would be allowed in private homes, 10% of hotel rooms, tobacco stores, and casinos. Odenwald says the casino part is a compromise: "This measure would not have a chance of passing in the council if that casino exemption was not in there."
Odenwald failed to pass a ban last year, but he says a recent Surgeon General's report on second-hand smoke made him want to try again.
And Odenwald says the casinos still could be cut off in the future. "The casino exemption is in there only as long as the city of St. Charles and the city of St. Louis exempt casinos," Odenwald said, in an interview. "If those two jurisdictions would pass local ordinances that would prohibit smoking in casinos, then the prohibition would kick in in St. Louis County."