Prediction: smoking bans will be in effect nationwide by 2020

Bans of smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, will probably be in effect nationwide by 2020, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded.

"It is by no means a foregone conclusion that we'll get there by 2020," Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, told The Associated Press. "I'm relatively bullish we'll at least get close to that number."

The project looked at the rate at which states have been adopting comprehensive smoke-free laws. In the past 10 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have enacted them. Kentucky is one of just seven states that has no statewide restrictions at all. The others are Indiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.

"Eliminating smoking from worksites, restaurants and bars is a low-cost, high-impact strategy that will protect nonsmokers and allow them to live healthier, longer, more productive lives while lowering health care costs associated with secondhand smoke," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden. To view the full report, click here.