Posted on 11/09/2006 6:39:39 PM PST by I'll be your Huckleberry
The winds of change are blowing through Nevada - and taking with them the cigarette smoke that circulates inside many Carson City bars.
Starting Dec. 8, smoking will be banned in bars that serve food and in restaurants, in addition to several other public and retail buildings. Approved by voters Tuesday, the ban came as a shock to some business owners who worry what the restriction will do to their customer base. Public officials are unsure about penalties for defiance, or who will enforce the ban. Non-smokers are savoring the day when their meal won't come with a side of second-hand smoke.
"It's not appetizing," Barbara Ford said Wednesday. Juan's Mexican/American Cuisine keeps her and her husband, Jack, coming back to Mo & Sluggo's bar in downtown Carson City, but they know to come during the "slow time."
That's when fewer people will be lighting up at the bar. Both of them are non-smokers.
"Businesses will gain more than they lose, because there are a lot more non-smokers than there are smokers," said Ford, who is retired.
A smoking ban doesn't keep tourists from going to California, which has had a similar ban for years, or smokers from flying in airplanes, said Ronni Hannaman, executive director of the Carson City Area Chamber of Commerce, which did not support the restrictive smoking ban.
The smoking ban, which won with 54 percent of Tuesday's vote, was favored by voters over a less restrictive measure that did not include restaurants or bars. Question 4, was supported by business groups and the tobacco industry.
"If Nevada has as much of a draw as we say it does, (tourists) will continue coming here," Hannaman said. "The real draw is our gaming and the mountains, not whether or not we smoke."
The ban also presents opportunity for businesses - by expanding to outdoor dining.
"We have three patios, (our customers) will go outside and smoke if they want a cigarette," said Vicki Shell, general manager of Glen Eagle's restaurant. "I'll add a heater for their comfort." A popular restaurant with an upper-crust clientele, Glen Eagle's may not be in any danger of losing its smoking customers, but smaller operators have concerns.
"I'm living from this business, and I think it's going to be affected," said Juan Salazar, who subleases his restaurant space from Mo & Sluggo's. Unsure of how the ban is going to play out, some are predicting hard times for small business.
"It's absolutely bad for business," said Paul Sonner, president of Bully's Sports Bar and Grill. "Rather than putting breath mints on the counter, we'll have Nicorette Gum."
A bar is the place for smoking, said Carson City man Jason Monfort, who has been a smoker for 18 years. For him, smoking is as natural in Nevada as brothels and wild horses.
"They're trying to make us Californians, and we're not Californians," he said while lighting up at the Old Globe. "We're Nevadans. We're the Old West. We thrive on being the Old West."
What?
Voters approved Question 5, the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, in Tuesday's general election by an eight-point margin. This more restrictive smoking ban was favored by voters over Question 4, a similar ban that excluded restaurants and bars.
Where?
Smoking will be banned within indoor places of employment, including: all bars with a food-handling license, all indoor restaurants, child-care facilities, movie theaters, video arcades, government buildings, public places, malls, stores, all parts of grocery stores, school buildings and school property. These business owners must post "No Smoking" signs.
What is exempt?
Casino floors, motels/hotels, taverns, saloons and bars that do not serve food, retail tobacco stores, strip clubs and brothels.
When does it go into effect?
The general election will be reviewed by the Nevada Supreme Court on Nov. 28. Once the review is complete, the results are official. The ban will go into affect 10 days after that, which would be Dec. 8.
Who will enforce the ban? What will be the penalties? Local officials are not sure. Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said city officials still haven't discussed how the ban will be handled. The code enforcement officials or deputies could be directed to answer calls. "It's too early to understand exactly how we're going to deal with it."
In New Jersey they have banned smoking in restaurants and bars. Funny enough, they haven't banned it in casinos. I wonder why? /sarc
More Info
Huck
I wonder why some brave spirit doesn't just change his or her business sign to "Joe's Bar & Grill....& Casino."
Just put a deck of cards and some poker chips on the tables.
FMCDH(BITS)
Nanny State ping (and placemark for the morning)
Hope you are recovering from Tuesday.
The hell it doesn't! I refuse to vacation in CA or NYC. I plan plane trips thru ATL rather than ORD - and drive when possible. I will never again stay in a Marriott.
And if I hear one more time that "it's good for business" I think I'll scream. Only a democrat could fail to see the fallacy in that.
One bar/restaraunt owner in the earlier article said he just gave his entire kitchen staff pink slips - he would rather stop selling food than alcohol.
You mistakenly addressed me, when I didn't use your quote.
In Nevada, it isn't as simple as putting a sign out front. Getting licensed as a casino is a Big Deal. Getting your work card for a casino is a Big Deal.
I've held a DoD/NATO security clearance and I've seen the regs on what it takes to be an engineer working for a gaming company on slot machines in Nevada. The background check for a TS clearance is only slightly more intrusive than the background check to get your work card to program gaming machines.
So people can't play cards for chips or matches or toothpicks with no money changing hands?
Thanks for the ping!
Who will enforce the ban? What will be the penalties? Local officials are not sure.
----
Hopefully they will ignore this law. (maybe a few others too if we're lucky...) :)
Yes, you can do that in any business, residence, etc.
When you call yourself a "casino", it implies certain standards in Nevada, ie, that of a "gaming establishment." Once you call yourself a gaming establishment, you'd better have a gaming license. If you don't, even if your customers aren't playing for money, you're begging for a Class B felony charge.
Further, when you call yourself a casino ("gaming establishment"), you have to uphold certain standards and practices about who you employ, their backgrounds, how your money is handled, the taxes you pay, who is allowed into the establishment (eg, no children in/around the gaming areas), etc.
Nevada takes a very dim view of people playing fast and loose with gambling. The Gaming Commission is one of the most feared groups in this state. Get on the wrong side of them and you will wish you had a root canal administered by the IRS instead.
Thanks for the ping!
Thanks for the ping!
From the Smokers Newsletter on the Election Smoking Bans:
CA: Burbank Smoking Ban Considered.
IL: Bourbonnais -Where is the logic?
IL: NO ban at Arlington Park Racetrack.
IL: Park City says NO to ban.
IL: Rockton says NO to ban - Again.
IL: Roselle says NO to ban.
IN: Hobart unlikely to ban smoking.
KY: Louisville Bars take ban to court.
MO: Kirkwood says NO to ban.
MS: Meridian lights up new debate.
MS: Tupelo Smoking ban challenge.
NJ: Atlantic City Casino Update.
NJ: Judge rules bartender's smoking is legal.
PA: Allegheny County More changes to ban.
TN: Dana faces secondhand smoking suit.
TX: Baytown smoking ban passes.
VA: Smoking Ban In State Buildings.
WI: Appleton bar owners vow to fight again.
WV: Ripley Restaurant Lawsuit Against Ban.
USA: Legacy, Philip Morris Spar.
USA: Federal Smoking Ban?
Thanks for the ping.
Mark for later anti bashing......
I have a feeling that's what's going to happen in my local working stiff bar.
A little civil disobedience does a body good.
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