Don’t like the smell of smokers around you? Think twice before you do something about it. While there’s no federal law that protects smokers or entitles them to equal protections in employment, there are 29 states (along with DC) that do offer some protections for smokers. Apparently, employers in these states cannot necessarily refuse to hire people just because they smoke. Seriously.
Here’s the list of states that provide employment protections to smokers, according to the American Lung Association:
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California
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Colorado
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Connecticut
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District of Columbia
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Illinois
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Indiana
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Kentucky
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Louisiana
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Maine
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Minnesota
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Mississippi
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Missouri
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Montana
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Nevada
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New Hampshire
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New Jersey
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New Mexico
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New York
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North Carolina
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North Dakota
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Oklahoma
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Oregon
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Rhode Island
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South Carolina
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South Dakota
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Tennessee
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Virginia
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West Virginia
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Wisconsin
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Wyoming
This blog is presented under protest by the law firm of Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP. It is essentially the random thoughts and opinions of someone who lives in the trenches of the war that often is employment law–he/she may well be a little shell-shocked. So if you are thinking “woohoo, I just landed some free legal advice that will fix all my problems!”, think again. This is commentary people, a sketchy overview of some current legal issue with a dose of humor, but commentary nonetheless; as if Dennis Miller were a lawyer…and still mildly amusing. No legal advice here; you would have to pay real US currency for that (unless you are my mom, and even then there are limits). But feel free to contact us with your questions and comments—who knows, we might even answer you. And if you want to spread this stuff around, feel free to do so, but please keep it in its present form (‘cause you can’t mess with this kind of poetry). Big news: Copyright 2013. All rights reserved; yep, all of them.
If you have any questions about this article, contact the writer directly, assuming he or she was brave enough to attach their name to it. If you have any questions regarding this blog or your life in general, contact Kelly O. Scott, Esq., commander in chief of this blog and Head Honcho (official legal title) of ECJ’s Employment Law Department, at (310) 281-6348 or kscott@ecjlaw.com.
