The Boise City Council last night enacted a far-reaching anti-smoking ordinance, banning smoking in all bars in the city, at most outdoor patio dining areas, near bus stops or line-ups, in public parks and within 20 feet of the city's Greenbelt path. Idaho already bans smoking statewide in restaurants and most workplaces, but neighboring states Washington, Oregon, Montana and Utah go further, banning smoking statewide in bars as well. According to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, which tracks smoke-free laws, as of Oct. 7, there were 479 U.S. municipalities that banned smoking in all non-hospitality workplaces, restaurants and bars; Boise now joins that list.

Prior to the council's action, Idaho was one of just 12 states whose capital city still permitted smoking in bars. The City Council's vote on the bar smoking ban, which also covers bus stops, patios and other public places, was unanimous; there was just one dissenting vote on the ban for parks.