Governor Brad Henry inks tattoo bill into law

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Tattooing will be legal in Oklahoma as of November 1st under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Governor Brad Henry.<br/><br/>The bill won final legislative approval last week and

Wednesday, May 10th 2006, 3:13 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Tattooing will be legal in Oklahoma as of November 1st under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Governor Brad Henry.

The bill won final legislative approval last week and makes Oklahoma the last state to legalize the practice.

Public health officials have recently supported efforts to legalize tattooing in an effort to regulate it and reduce the chance of spreading HIV and hepatitis.

The state Health Department says between 2000 and 2003 there was a 78 percent increase in new hepatitis C infections and 34 percent of the people infected reported having a tattoo.

The bill signed into law prohibits tattooing on anyone younger than 18.