"Equal Protection" Suit: A Tired Last Gasp for Tobacco Industry Allies in Nevada

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The tobacco industry’s buddies in the bar and gambling businesses are at it again, suing to try and stop Nevada's new smoke-free law, which voters approved November 7 by a margin of 54% to 46%. The law bans smoking in bars that serve meals, slot machine sections of grocery and convenience stores, in video arcades, shopping malls, schools and day-care centers. Bar and casino owners are claiming the law is unconstitutional, and saying that it will hurt their businesses, while offering no proof that it has. A peer-reviewed study published in Tobacco Control journal in 2003 conclusively linked the tobacco industry to most of these lawsuits. The industry and its allies typically lose these "equal protection" suits, which are stimulated by the tobacco industry to undermine enforcement and long-term implementation of smoke-free laws.