Arkansas’ smoking ban just turned 20. Can the state find common ground on public health again?

By: Andrew DeMillo

Outlets: Arkansas Advocate

Published: July 26, 2026

Words: 668

Last Updated: 1 week, 1 day ago

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Just 20 years ago, trying to avoid smoke in Arkansas was an onerous task.

Going out to restaurants and bars often meant coming home reeking of cigarettes, even if you or your companions weren’t the ones smoking. Many employers had a smoke break room.

At my first newspaper job in Arkansas, that meant walking through a thick, noxious cloud to buy a can of Diet Coke from the vending machine.

It wasn’t just a …

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