New Balance of Power

Year by year it becomes harder to find a place to light a cigarette legally. Now Minnesota has passed the nation's most sweeping state law to date: "No person shall smoke in a public place or in a public meeting except in designated smoking areas." Possible fine: $100.

The statute even extends to offices, which must be nonsmoking areas unless all employees smoke, though smoking rooms can be set aside. But it does not include bars, and one legal opinion holds that any restaurant that serves liquor can be considered a "bar." Still, the law shifts the balance of power between smoker and nonsmoker. It puts the burden on the smoker to find a smoking area, rather than on the non-smoker to find a spot of clean air.

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