Some U.S. states, particularly those in the Southeast, do not have statewide laws prohibiting smoking in all private worksites, restaurants and bars, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The number of states with comprehensive smoke-free laws increased from none in the year 2000 to 27 by June this year. Currently, 23 states have no statewide smoke-free legislation, though residents in 14 of these states are protected from secondhand smoke by some local laws and city ordinances — 60 percent of West Virginians and more than 30 percent of Texans, South Carolinians and Kentuckians are protected by some smoke-free measures.
"Ten years ago, the surgeon general concluded there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD. "We've made great progress in protecting many Americans from secondhand smoke exposure, but millions of Americans, especially those living in southeastern states, are still unprotected from this completely preventable health hazard."
Find a topographic breakdown of America's statewide comprehensive smoke-free laws here.