NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. — The public place indoor smoking ban in Hancock County that will also prohibit smoking at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort is set to go into effect July 1.
“We are proceeding as we started off to do so, starting out July 1 we hope to have everyone in 100 percent compliance,” Hancock County Health Department Administrator Jackie Huff told MetroNews. “We’ve been sending out mailings, there’s been an increased awareness, people calling us asking what they need to do.”
There were several attempts in the recently completed legislative session to try and get Mountaineer exempt from the ban but each failed.
“I watched it daily. I was aware of the three separate bills,” Huff said. “I just think there was a great response from the public that they didn’t think it should be. We’re not talking about one county we are talking about 30 other counties that already have clean air regulations in place.”
The ordinance also covers some outdoor public areas and if there are smoking areas they must be 20 feet away from a building entrance.
Officials with Mountaineer were upset after last July’s vote by the health board saying their concessions and offers at compromise were ignored.
Mountaineer is in competition for gambling business with newer casinos in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Pennsylvania has a 50 percent smoking ban while Ohio casinos are smoke free.
“It’s time that we in West Virginia catch up to some of those other states and look for the health of our people that are in our state,” Huff said.