Three years after taking effect, the Clean Indoor Air Act remains overwhelmingly popular among Kansas voters, according to a statewide public opinion poll. It finds that 78 percent of Kansas voters approve of the law that prohibits smoking in most public places.
One of the tradeoffs made to get the law passed exempts state-operated casinos from the smoking ban.
Linda DeCoursey heads the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition. She says one lawmaker has told her he is planning to put forth a bill that would level the playing field for casinos and other establishments—one way or another.
“The legislator who says he is going to bring this bill forward says if we can’t get it, we’ll just take it all down,” says Decoursey. “I don’t understand that part—why you would do that when it’s a very popular law.”
The poll finds support for the law stronger among Republican primary voters than among voters in general. The research was conducted by a national survey firm hired by the Sunflower Foundation.