Smokers are breathing a sigh of relief.

The sponsor of a statewide smoking ban is tabling his bill. Democratic state Sen. Dan Grossman said he made the decision because of increasing opposition from Republicans.

All 17 Republican senators oppose the ban because they say it infringes on personal freedom and property rights. Grossman said it does not have enough support to pass it without Republican support.

The only way to pass the bill out of the Senate is for Grossman to corral all 18 Democratic votes but he's acknowledged that a few Democrats have told him they have reservations about the bill.

Smoking is already banned in workplaces, and restaurants or bars, by at least 13 local governments around Colorado.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper -- a restaurant owner for 20 years -- had gone on record in support of the measure, along with small business owner and Cortez Republican Rep. Mark Larson.

The measure would have banned smoking in public meetings, elevators, mass transit, grocery stores, bars, casinos and three-fourths of the hotel rooms in the state.

Violators would have to pay a $200 fine for the first offense, $300 for a second offense in the same calendar year and $500 for every violation after that during the same year.

Supporters said it would "level the playing field" for businesses around the state -- eliminating the temptation for smokers in a "smoking ban" community to take their business to a nearby city.

Several cities and counties across Colorado have already enacted smoking bans, but a statewide ban would supersede all of them.

Fort Collins, Greeley, Pueblo, Alamosa, Arvada, Aspen, Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Montrose, Snowmass, Superior, Telluride and unincorporated Boulder County already have similar bans. Some groups have been trying to ban smoking in Denver for years.

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