A bid to increase Louisiana's legal smoking age from 18 to 21 narrowly escaped the House budget committee, but only after lawmakers added a long list of exemptions to the proposal.
Fifty-two years ago, the surgeon general issued a report linking tobacco use to cancer. More than 42% of Americans were smokers at the time. That figure is now at just over 18%, according to a report from USA Today. Louisiana's smoking rate is among the highest in the country...
At the meeting, the councilman plans to give information about how the process to make bars smoke free is coming along and what they might look to do in the future.