DeKalb approves state's first countywide smoking ban

DECATUR - DeKalb County approved the broadest smoking ban in Georgia Thursday, prohibiting lighting up in most public places, including restaurants and office buildings. <br> <br> County commissioners passed the measure with a 5-2 vote. <br> <br> DeKalb&#39;s ban, which goes into effect in 60 days, does not apply to bars and it will be enforced only in the unincorporated areas of the county. <br> <br> Smoking previously was allowed in restaurants with a seating capacity of fewer than 50 people and in specified smoking sections in larger restaurants. The new law ends those exemptions. <br> <br> Albany was the first Georgia city to institute a smoking ban in 1998, forcing smokers in all public areas, including restaurants and work sites, to take it outside. It was one of the first smoking bans in the South. <br> <br> Several cities, including Atlanta, Athens and Savannah, have banned smoking in city-owned buildings for years.