Casinos an issue as Navajo Nation Council takes up smoking ban

Monday, July 18, 2011  

The Navajo Nation Council will consider two bills to ban smoking at public places on the Navajo Nation.

President Ben Shelly supports a complete ban. But a different version of the bill exempts gaming facilities.

“We are aiming to protect our people’s health,” a spokesperson for Shelly told the Associated Press. “And all Navajo Nation workers should be able to breathe clean air and work in an environment free of tobacco smoke.”

The second bill gives the tribe time to pays off its gaming-related debt before considering a smoking ban at casinos. That should take about seven years, according to the tribe's top gaming official.

Get the Story:
Casinos not included in smoking ban bill (The Navajo Times 7/140
Casinos a big factor in Navajo Nation's proposed smoking bans (AP 7/17)