KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2024 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Smoking Ban On All Maricopa County-Owned Property Goes Into Effect In March

Maricopa County will ban all tobacco products and e-cigarettes on county-owned property later this year.

That includes jails, administrative buildings, public health clinics and sites that house the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.

Dr. Bob England with the county says policies like this can help smokers who are on the fence about kicking the habit.  

"Three out of four smokers want to quit to begin with, but it takes those who are close and helps motivate them to get over that last hurtle and helps them to stop," he said.

There is about a 20 percent quit rate when policies like this are implemented, according to England.

The ban applies to employees, visitors and vendors and goes into effect March 16.

KJZZ senior field correspondent Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets — nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.