CHICAGO (Reuters) - A smoking ban has been passed in the unlikely city of Lexington, Kentucky, the capital of a leading tobacco growing state that has the highest percentage of adult smokers in the United States.

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, following in the anti-smoking footsteps of much larger entities such as New York City and the state of California, voted 11-3 to prohibit smoking in public buildings, including racetracks, restaurants and bars.

Thirty-one percent of adult Kentuckians smoke, compared to 23 percent nationally, and the state is the second-leading tobacco producer after North Carolina.

Violators would be hit by a $100 (60 pound) fine for the first offense, escalating up to $500.


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