SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who set up a tent outside his smoke-free state office to accommodate his taste for a good cigar, has approved a bill barring tobacco from state prisons. The measure, signed on 27 September, forbids tobacco products in prisons and youth correctional facilities. Violators are subject to a fine.

　　Supporters say the changes will help the state to save money on healthcare and improve the health of 160,000 state prison inmates. Some parts of California's criminal justice system (county jails, for example) have already banned smoking.

　　The state raised about $1.37 million in taxes by selling tobacco products to inmates last year. The bill's legislative sponsor estimates that about half of California prisoners smoke. The result is about $280 million in related healthcare costs.