MGM National Harbor Won't Build Indoor Smoking Area: Report

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- MGM National Harbor will remain smoke-free after parent company MGM Resorts announced it would withdraw a request to build an indoor smoking area at the casino, according to a report.

A joint statement from numerous organizations, including the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association, praised the development as "good news for the health and safety of Maryland's casino workforce, customers and public."

MGM National Harbor, which opened in December 2016, was required to be smoke-free because of a 2008 statewide smoke-free workplace law. However, MGM Resorts wanted to build a special indoor smoking area up until Friday, when it withdrew the request.

"The science is clear: There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke," reads the joint statement. "The Office of the Surgeon General and all leading health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) affirm that casino ventilation systems and smoking rooms neither address the health hazards nor prevent smoke from migrating throughout a building. Even at low levels, secondhand smoke still poses a serious health hazard."

(Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MGM National Harbor)