Jun 22, 2015 02:11 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

The number of restaurants and bars that allow smoking has doubles in recent years, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Georgia State University found that despite the passage of Georgia's Smokefree Air Act in 2005, which placed smoking restrictions on bars and restaurants, owners of these establishments have taken advantage of exemptions in the laws to create smoking zones.

"The increase in smoking-allowed establishments may be attributed to the increase in the percentage of establishments permitting smoking in designated dining areas and the large percentage of establishments that permit smoking in outdoor areas," researchers wrote in their study.

Georgia's Smokefree Air Act includes several exemptions that allow restaurants and bars to avoid a complete ban on smoking. Owners can allow smoking if they don't allow entry to people who are younger than 18 years old, or if designated smoking areas are outside or in rooms with separate ventilation systems.

According to the study, the percentage of restaurants and bars in Georgia that allowed smoking nearly doubled, from 9.1 percent in 2006 to 17.6 percent in 2012. They also found "a significant increase in the percentage of establishments that allow smoking when minors are present," putting them at risk for secondhand smoke.  At these establishments, children are most likely to be exposed cigarette smoke in designated smoking areas and outdoor patios.

In their study, researchers said the most effective way to protect children and others from secondhand smoke is to "enforce laws that require all indoor public places to be completely smoke free." They urge policymakers to strengthen the Smokefree Air Act by making restaurant and bars 100 percent smoke free.

However, a report released by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that Georgia's smoking rate is showing a steady decline and has the lowest smoking rate in Southern states, excluding Florida, The Augusta Chronicle reported. 

The findings are detailed in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.

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