Merry Christmas.
Posted on 12/08/2006 9:03:48 AM PST by Namyak
On the same day Allegheny County was sued over its new law and one week after Erie County was advised by its solicitor against such an ordinance, Scranton City Council “rolled the dice” and approved a smoking ban Thursday.
“Our solicitor wants to roll the dice, but it behooves us to proceed with caution, because I think we can ill afford more litigation in Scranton,” said Councilwoman Janet Evans, whose motion to table the ordinance failed. Council passed the ordinance by a 4-to-1 vote.
Solicitor Amil Minora reiterated his belief that the panel was on solid footing in going forth with the ordinance.
Jones Day, the law firm that has represented tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds in numerous product-liability cases, filed a lawsuit against Allegheny County on behalf of two restaurant owners, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block that county’s smoking ban, citing a state law that some claim prohibits local governments from enacting such laws.
When the Allegheny County Council was debating the ordinance, solicitor Michael Wojcik said it could violate the state Clean Indoor Air Act, which he said prohibits all counties except Philadelphia from passing any local smoking bans, according to the Tribune-Review.
Last week, Erie County solicitor Thomas Talarico also advised that city that such a ban would violate state law.
However, by not specifically legislating smoking or nonsmoking, the state left any further ban to the discretion of municipalities, Mr. Minora said.
The Scranton ordinance would prohibit smoking in nearly all businesses, including bars and restaurants. Bars that get 90 percent of their income through the sale of alcohol could apply for a one-year exemption, under the law.
After Mrs. Evans warned that the ordinance referred to a health department, which Scranton doesn’t have, it was amended to read “health inspector.”
Council President Judy Gatelli excitedly said: “It is my proud pleasure to declare (the ban) legally and lawfully adopted.”
Mrs. Gatelli, a nurse at West Scranton High School, said she would attend a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Monday where Mayor Chris Doherty will sign the ordinance into law.
The law is to take effect Jan. 7.
I'd like to know his source as well............
THE REAL FACTS OF THE SMOKING BANS IMPACT ON BUSINESS'S
The Facts
Check out the Newsletter, updated weekly for news in your area:
The United Pro Choice Smokers Rights Newsletter
SheLion, if you can post this one page from the National 1993 ASSIST study as a picture/page instead of a link(American Stop Smoking Intervention study), I think it would help explain to everyone what is going on here.
http://www.forces.org/writers/kjono/pdf/tfw222.pdf
The objective of the study was to reduce smoking rates from 25% to below 10%. One of the methods they advocate, curiously enough, is "MANDATE CLEAN INDOOR AIR LAWS".
Think about this for a second: What do workplace smoking bans have to do with reducing smoking rates?????
A: Nothing. But it furthers their goal of "REDUCING PUBLIC TOLERANCE OF TOBACCO USE."
The hatred and discrimination against smokers that you are seeing now from nice folks like these three here is the result of a carefully planned 13 year propaganda campaign.
http://www.forces.org/writers/kjono/files/hatred.htm
Yup, and I can report from outside of Vegas than as of last night, a whole lot of places are ignoring the ban or looking the other way when smokers light up. JUST as it happend in California.
I cant tell you how many times, before I moved to Nevada, I saw people smoking in bars in San Fran with one person sitting on the end of the bar acting as a lookout of sorts.
Merry Christmas.
Eric, it's a pdf. I haven't fooled with pdf's enough yet to figure out how to copy and paste the doc into a thread.
:(
Good to hear----the Smoking Taliban has not completely shut everyone down.
BTW I was referring to Las Vegas, New Mexico, not Nevada. Actually we are the original one. We do not resemble NV's Las Vegas at all. Kind of a poor city w/15,000 in pop. and virtually no employment(or water) Nearest jobs are 70 miles away. Yet this is what are city father spend their time on....protecting us. Isn't that great?
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