(06/28/2006) Smoking is now banned in West Virginia's 16 prisons and 11 juvenile facilities. The move is to provide a healthier environment for inmates. Starting Saturday, inmates and prison employees will only be able to use tobacco products outdoors. A total ban is planned for July, 2007. Officials have estimated that a tobacco ban would save West Virginia about $400,000 a year in inmate medical costs and up to $80,000 in dental expenses. A study by the Department of Health and Human Resources says West Virginia has one of the highest rates of adult smoking in the nation at 27.3 percent.

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