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--> --> Ashland passes tougher smoking ordinance ASHLAND (AP) - In an attempt to curb smoking by children, the Ashland City Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance that requires vendors to get a license before they sell tobacco and punishes stores that allow clerks to sell tobacco to minors. The ordinance also ended all self-service tobacco sales except in places children don't go alone - taverns, cocktail lounges, industrial plants and hotels. Under current state guidelines, if a convenience store clerk sells tobacco to someone under 18, the clerk is fined, but the store's owner is not, Ashland Police Chief Scott Fleuter said. The city's ordinance seeks to hold store owners to the same standard. It imposes fines ranging from $200 to $500 for violations of the ordinance and gives the city authority to revoke licenses for repeated infractions. The council approved the updated ordinance in a 5-1 vote Tuesday night, with Councilor Cameron Hanson opposing the measure. Hanson said the ordinance would not be effective in curtailing underage tobacco use unless it was better enforced by the Ashland Police Department. "I don't know if this ordinance will affect smoking youngsters in this town," Hanson said. "We need to up the level of enforcement." The council plans to work out the details of the licenses later. The ordinance will take effect Dec. 6, City Recorder Barbara Christensen said. Tuesday's action followed a council meeting last month when Citizens for a Healthy Ashland proposed a ban on outdoor public smoking. The council did not adopt that proposal. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing