Free Republic

Lighting up in the state's casinos will still be permitted under the new law, which requires indoor public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars, to be smoke-free. Cigar bars or lounges and tobacco retail establishments will also be exempt. Violators will face penalties of $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense. The bill was approved by the state's Senate Dec. 15 and then by the Assembly by a 64-to-12 vote with two abstentions Jan. 9. The American Cancer Society and other health advocates have lauded the legislation, but some operators...

(snip) (snip) "Our mission is to go out and educate and inform everyone about the dangers that tobacco use has not only on the person that uses it, but with secondhand smoke, the community and businesses," said Elizabeth Segarra, the CAT coordinator for Hudson County. Both Chiappone and Assemblyman Louis Manzo, D-Jersey City, have proposed anti-smoking bills that are pending in the Assembly. One, which Manzo co-sponsored, would permit municipalities, local boards of health or regional health commissions to prohibit smoking indoors in all public places. "Politics and what makes sense for public health don't always jibe," Manzo told the...

SAVANNAH NY- A ban on smoking has snuffed the life out of their D&S Diner, Susan and Doug Devall say. The owners of the village's only diner, one of the few businesses on Main Street, say they will close for good Dec. 29. They blame Wayne County's no-smoking law, which passed in January. We'd still be here, Doug Devall said, if the law hadn't passed. The couple opened the diner in August 2000, after a string of businesses failed at the same location. Although the diner didn't turn a profit in its first year, the two expected to operate in...

Guest Opinion: Reasons for businesses to not allow smoking By GAIL BECKNER and LAURA BEHENNA Some Helena businesses have chosen to allow smoking on their premises again since city court judge Myron Pitch ruled Helena’s clean air ordinance unconstitutional because of a minor procedural issue. The Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department would like to point out, however, that the substance of the ordinance is unchanged and it is still in effect. Although the city is not currently enforcing the ordinance until the city’s appeal of Judge Pitch’s ruling is decided, we want to emphasize that the facts about secondhand...