Mississippi doctors are pushing for state legislators to put a statewide smoking ban on the ballot. There are currently 86 cities that have smoke-free ordinance which covers 25% of the state’s population. However, Steve Demetropolous of the State Medical Association says this is not enough.
So far the medical association has failed to have lawmakers pass a state smoking ban, and are not look to get enough signatures to convince the legislators to take the issue to voters.
Republican Senator Brice Wiggins of Pasagoula who is a member of the Senate Public Health Committee states, “I am hesitant to force regulations on to private businesses. So what the state medical association is doing by taking it to the people is a good thing.”
The association is in the process of trying to get 107,216 certified signatures with a minimum of 21,4311 from each of the five congressional signatures.
If enough signatures are collected and the initiative makes it on to a ballot, it must receive a majority to pass and more than 40% of the total votes cast in that election.
