Federal researchers are studying the economic impact of North Carolina’s nearly 2-year-old ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.

After years of failed efforts, 2012 could see the Indiana General Assembly finally approve – with some exemptions – a statewide public smoking ban.

In years past it was common for tobacco smoke to fill the air of restaurants, places of business and most public spaces. As recently as 1991, 88 percent of American non-smokers experienced measurable exposure to second-hand smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).