Statewide smoking ban reintroduced; supporters confident it will pass

Lawmakers who want clean air for those who dine out sent a stern message Thursday to smokers: Find a comfortable spot on the sidewalk to enjoy that puff after dinner. Smoking in bars and restaurants will soon be illegal, lawmakers said.

“We are going to win. This is the right thing to do,” said Del. Barbara Frush, D-Prince George?s County, one of the sponsors of the 2007 Clean Indoor Air Act, the latest incarnation of a bill to ban smoking that has failed for the last four years.