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Posted on 01/01/2003 7:02:39 PM PST by Mark

Some defy Pueblo smoking ban

Pueblo's new smoking ban went into Wednesday. Some welcomed it, some complained about it, some defied it.

At the Do Drop Inn, the ashtrays were safely tucked away under the counter. But the talk continues. "I think if they quit smoking in bars," says Melva Quillen, "it'll hurt the bar business, is what I think." Another customer, Thomas Lacey, sees it the other way. "I enjoy coming in and not having to deal with it."

At the Eagle Bar downtown, a couple of customers openly defied the smoking ban, using empty beer bottles as as trays. "I tell you what," said Bob Gacnik just before lighting up, "there's other things that I think the City Council ought to be more concerned about as a problem."

"We have our smoking signs up and all that, but there are a few people smoking and all that," admitted bartender Ernie Tagle. "We tell 'em they can't smoke anymore. You know what I'm saying. We are telling them 'you aren't allowed to smoke.'"

While there were no petitions at the Eagle Bar, a group of bar operators is circulating a petition in hopes of stopping enforcement of the smoking ban. They have until the middle of next week to turn in about 3,000 signatures.

Updated: 1/1/2003 5:18:35 PM

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