20 Years Smoke-Free: Why Montana’s Clean Air Law Still Matters

Raise your hand if you remember coming home from the bar and promptly tossing your outfit into the washing machine because it reeked like cigarette smoke. Or going to a restaurant and choosing between the "Smoking" and "Non-Smoking" seating areas. Not that there was much to differentiate between the two.

Back in 2005, Montana lawmakers did something bold: they passed the Clean Indoor Air Act, declaring that everyone, from bartenders and cocktail waitresses to the night-shift fry cook, deserves clean, smoke-free air. You shouldn’t have to choose between a paycheck and your lungs.

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Perhaps you recall the pushback from the tavern industry.

"This will ruin our business!" some bar and casino owners said, as outdoor smoking huts quickly went up at many bars and casinos. The small shacks allowed patrons a covered, sheltered area to duck out of the bar for a smoke. Note: very few bars and casinos went out of business.

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This month marks the 20th anniversary of Montana's Clean Indoor Air Act going into effect. To celebrate, the folks who fought for it (advocates, lawmakers, nonprofits, and community leaders) gathered in Helena earlier this week to reflect on the impact of the law.

Smoking and lung cancer rates are dropping in Montana.

It was a bit of a reunion of people who made Montana’s restaurants, bars, workplaces, and venues breathe-easy zones. Since the passing of the Clean Indoor Air Act two decades ago, the stats are impressive.

• Adult smoking dropped from 19% to 12%

• Youth smoking fell from 20% to 7%

• New lung cancer cases are down 40%

• Deaths from lung cancer have nearly been cut in half

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Montana Government Relations Director Katharine Sutphen puts it bluntly: most younger Montanans have never sat in a smoky bar or restaurant, which is wonderful… but also easy to take for granted. One bad legislative session and the clock could start rolling backward.

Vaping indoors is a no-no, too.

The law hasn’t stood still, either. As vaping and marijuana crept into public spaces, state lawmakers updated the definition of “smoking” to include electronic smoking devices, most recently through Senate Bill 390 in 2025.

Twenty years of cleaner air, healthier workers, and fewer families getting the devastating phone call no one wants. But the next 20 years matter even more. Montana fought hard for clean indoor air. We just have to make sure we keep it.