In Arizona, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez recently signed legislation banning indoor smoking in the tribe’s casinos and other public locations on the tribe’s reservation, the largest in the U.S. Nez called the ban a “monumental achievement and bold step in the right direction to promote healthy living among our Navajo people. It is a fundamental right to protect our Navajo people’s right to breathe clean air.”
Tribal lawmakers approved the bill in October, prohibiting the use of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes and other commercial products in public buildings and workspaces, including a 25-foot outdoor buffer zone.
The ban does not apply to the ceremonial use of tobacco or use in people’s homes unless they house day care centers, adult care centers or business offices.
The Navajo Nation Council said it received overwhelming support for the measure. The ban is the culmination of a 13-year effort by a coalition of anti-smoking groups to educate the public on the dangers of secondhand smoke. Supporters saw an opportunity to renew the push during the Covid-19 pandemic. Under Covid-19 safety guidelines, smoking had been prohibited at the tribe’s four casinos−three in New Mexico and one near Flagstaff. The new legislation made that ban permanent. The Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise tried unsuccessfully to be exempted from the smoking ban.
The 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation reservation extends to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
