Bill Fails to Snuff Out Indoor Smoking in Mississippi

Indoor smoking in Mississippi will remain as lawmakers ignored an indoor smoking ban bill. The Magnolia State, for context, has a fairly different approach to tobacco consumption in enclosed areas than other US jurisdictions.

Mississippi Is a Very Smoke-Friendly State

In January, Representative Bryant Clark filed House Bill 361, seeking to ban indoor smoking across the state. The measure would have tightened Mississippi’s rules on smoking, in contrast to the fairly liberal framework it currently employs.

For context, every community in the state is allowed to set its own rules for smoking in enclosed spaces and decide whether it’s allowed at all. Even though there isn’t a statewide ban, multiple municipalities and a handful of counties have already introduced prohibitions on indoor smoking.

However, for most of Mississippi, this has yet to happen. On top of that, the state remains one of the most smoking places in the US as one in five adults are regular smokers.

The Bill Outlined Multiple Reasons as to Why Indoor Smoking Should Be Prohibited

Clark’s HB 361 was called the Mississippi Smoke-Free Air Act of 2025 and sought to protect the help of the citizens by snuffing out indoor smoking.

According to the measure, secondhand smoke is responsible for the early deaths of some 53,000 Americans every year and can hurt even nonsmokers. Determined to be contaminant and carcinogen by multiple health institutions, secondhand smoke is nevertheless still present in Mississippi and other states, especially in casinos.

The bill pointed out that the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health examined the detrimental effects of smoked areas on casino employees in Las Vegas and determined that the only way to protect workers and visitors alike is to ban indoor smoking.

The Society of Actuaries, on the other hand, determined that secondhand smoke costs the US some $10 billion a year as it leads to medical expenses and loss of productivity.

The Bill Died without a Vote

Unfortunately for supporters of the measure, it was deferred by Chair Representative Richard Bennett and died without a vote. Bennett, for context, represents Harrison Country, which is an area rich in casino.

As a result, the bill’s failure to pass could likely be interpreted as yet another case of business prevailing over healthcare by some. Similar measures across America have likewise failed to gain traction and eliminate indoor smoking in their respective markets.

Despite intense efforts to ban indoor smoking across New Jersey’s casinos, for example, operators have remained adamant that they do not wish to take the risk, no matter what the positives might be. Mississippi, being a much more smoke-friendly state, is likely to be an even tougher nut to crack when it comes to indoor smoking.

Not all is lost, however, as some casinos in Mississippi and beyond have voluntarily decided to prohibit indoor smoking. In the Magnolia State, those include Bok Homa Casino, Island View Casino Resort and Magnolia Bluffs Casino.