Wichita considers indoor smoking ban

? Smokers in the state’s largest city may soon have to snub out those cigarettes.

The Wichita City Council is sniffing out the possibility of a some type of indoor smoking ban, perhaps before the end of the year.

On Nov. 20, the Tobacco Free Wichita coalition will present to council members the results of a smoking ban survey taken from more than 1,000 residents. That could lead the council to instruct its attorney to write the city’s own smoking ordinance, perhaps one similar to the one in Lawrence that has withstood a challenge in the Kansas Supreme Court.

At least 22 states and 6,800 municipalities have passed bans on smoking in bars, restaurants or all workplaces, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, a California-based advocacy group.

“This is something that’s being done, not just in cities across our country, but in states across the country,” said Vice Mayor Sharon Fearey. “It’s just time.”