They just won't believe it!
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."
You need to Ohio - On 11/7/06 a private property taking smoking ban passed statewide!
What restrictions are placed on making a bar/restaurant a strip club? If gaming licenses are tough to get, the better route may be turning a business that will see a loss in revenue to a strip club.
If you have employees that must take off their coat when they work - technically they are stripping something off.
Would assume it would require over 18 only.
Think of all the savings in not having to buy booster-seats....
I'm with you friend. I don't go where I'm not welcome either.
I've enjoyed the no-smoking ban in restaurants and airplanes for so many years, that I almost forgot that other countries don't have the same regulations.
The food, drink, and oompa bands were certainly enjoyable in Germany and Austria last week. The only thing that spoiled it at first was the cigarette smoke! Funny, though, how I got accustomed to it after a few beers!
Tax: OH Cigarette tax increase for arts program
Posted on Wednesday, November 08 @ 08:45:49 EST by samantha
Cigarette tax for arts approved in Cleveland and suburbs
Voters in Cleveland and its Cuyahoga County suburbs voted Tuesday to approve a 30-cent tax increase on a pack of cigarettes to help arts and culture.
Smoker's tax dollars increase TO SUPPORT THE ARTS??? LOL How rich!
And I thought Ohio wanted Smoke FREE. How on earth could their ARTS program survive without the smokers keeping their sorry butts above water???!!!
11/8/06
CLEVELAND - Voters in Cleveland and its Cuyahoga County suburbs voted Tuesday to approve a 30-cent tax increase on a pack of cigarettes to help arts and culture.
The campaign pitted patrons of the arts, including the well-heeled Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Museum of Art, against smokers, big tobacco and cigarette outlets.
Backers said the tax would raise about $20 million annually for 10 years and raise the state and local taxes on cigarettes sold in the county to $1.59 1/2 a pack. A portion of the current tax has been used to help finance Cleveland sports venues.
The new portion of the tax would be split among museums and performing arts companies and, backers said, would protect the city's cultural heritage. Opponents said the tax unfairly targeted a segment of the community and would drive cigarette sales out of the county.
Read
Arts-and-culture tax apparently victorious
November 08, 2006
Carolyn Jack, Cleveland Plain Dealer Arts Reporter
Results were far from final by press time this morning, but backers of Issue 18 remained hopeful that an early lead indicated victory.
Issue 18 was passing at 12:20 a.m. today with 620 precincts out of 1,434 reporting.
The issue would raise the county tax on cigarettes by 1.5 cents per cigarette, generating $20 million per year for 20 years to support arts and culture.
Read
Did the Marlboro Man Die of Lung Cancer?
http://cancer.about.com/od/celebritytributes/f/marloboroman.htm
"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."
Well, if Madistan's ban is any indication, I'd hit 'Home Despot' and start buying plywood and nails and hammers because you'll be boarding up and closing down sooner than later...
Morons. They actually had the people of Madistan believing that if a place was smoke-free the hordes of latte-drinking, sweater-over-the-shoulder Blue Bloods would be swarming to dankly lit corner bars and Mom & Pop restaurants! Fools.
Just leave the smokers in peace. If you don't like smoke, don't go there! (And I don't smoke. Never have, but I'm considering starting due to the injustice of it!)
Probably because of the licenses and government regulation (far worse than not letting your customers smoke) that would drop on you and your business like a ton of bricks.
Well, get this: Maine forced a smoking ban on the whole state in January 2004. Then the taxes went up to $2.00 a pack and $20 dollars a carton. You think it's rough in Ohio?!
So many in Maine roll their own now. A carton of Doral's runs $45-46 dollars. Unbelievable!
They just won't believe it!
Good Lord.
That'd irritate me more than anything else, I swear.
"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."
That's the insane part.
Not being a Nevada resident I couldn't say for certain but I'd bet a dollar to a dime the "voters" they're talking about, here?
They're mainly California transplants.
Xplants who fled high taxes, crime & an overly intrusive nanny government which strangled every facet of life; thereby, trashing the quality of said life.
That quality's something California used to be the envy of the entire nation because of, too.
So what do these [alleged] CA xplants do first chance they get?
Yea.
Nuts.
...just nuts.
This is actually a line of thinking I'm hearing about, because there is so much less regulation in naming your place a "strip club." There is no regulation saying that there must be nudity, how much, etc. For example, the term "strip club" appears nowhere in the NRS (Nevad Revised Statutes).
And, while cat houses are regulated on a county-by-county basis, strip clubs are not all that tightly regulated in many counties.
Can't say I'm a big fan of the smoking ban since I believe private businesses should be able to do what they want as long as they notify the public beforehand (such as if a place wants to be unsanitary and not clean their dishes properly, fine, as long as they tell me on a sign before I enter the restaurant and can chose not to eat there. Much like smoking, as long as they say they allow it I don't have to go). That being said, I don't smoke and typically don't care for places that allow it, but that doesn't mean I want to govt. to strongarm places just for my comfort.
Well said.
Other than the occasional cigar, I don't smoke. But the erosion of private liberties and property rights should be a concern to us all.
Huck
Yea
Hey, SheLion, I know this is an old story, but you will get a kick out of this. I work at a law firm in downtown Cleveland and was filling in for the secretary of an attorney who was the chair of this campaign. I saw papers on his desk for an off-site meeting for this. I asked him what was being proposed to pay for this. He looked at me and said in a somewhat embarrassing way as if sayng what else, “a 30 cent tax on a pack of cigarettes.” LOL. I just gave him “the look.”
AND ANOTHER THING...he was at an off-site meeting, and guess who’s office called? SHERROD BROWN’s. LOLOLOLOLOLOL.
Do the DEMs know how to get tax money or what? LOLOLOLOLOL. Pathetic pukes. (Oh, did I just say that? Oh, my.)
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