Ban On Smoking Outdoors In Public Places Sparks Controversy

AP/Nati Harnik

Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss vetoed a ban on smoking downtown, raising questions about enforcement, exemptions for sidewalk cafes, and where people who work downtown would be able to go to smoke.

The Burlington City Council recently voted to ban smoking outdoors in a wide swath of downtown. Mayor Bob Kiss vetoed the ban, raising questions about enforcement, exemptions for sidewalk cafes, and where people who work downtown would be able to go to smoke. We'll talk to two city councilors about the ban, and why they voted the way they did - Joan Shannon, who co-sponsored the ordinance, and Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who voted against it. We'll also hear from Garry Schaedel, the Director for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Vermont Department of Health, and from Allen Gilbert, executive director of ACLU Vermont.

And we want to know what you think about the idea of outdoor smoking bans in public spaces.  Would you like to see one in your city or town? Continue the discussion below. And you can take a survey on our Facebook page here.