Smoking was banned in pubs in the UK on July 1, 2007. However, smoking bans in the United States vary by state and locality. For example, California banned smoking in all enclosed workplaces, including bars and restaurants, on January 1, 1995. Connecticut banned smoking statewide in bars and restaurants on October 1, 2003. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, some states implemented comprehensive smoking bans that prohibited smoking in most workplaces and all public places, including previously exempted bars and restaurants.
It is important to note that voluntary smoking bans can exist in areas before legislation has been implemented. For example, many hotel chains, some restaurant chains, airlines and other mass transit systems, office buildings, health-care facilities, schools, and individually owned establishments instituted bans long before counties, cities, or states legislated bans.
