How do you like your smoke free town?
 

I live in Louisville KY in the heart of tobacco central and we've just passed a crummy bill which only makes some places smoke free, despite the fact that Lexington (one hour away) is totally smoke free. My husband and I travel often to smoke free towns so that we can hear music, dance, etc. because I'm so sensitive to smoke. How are bans affecting attitudes, business, etc around your hometown?

Newport RI...actually all of RI and MA.....no effect on business. Some owners were afraid at first, but turned out to be for nothing, business is same or better than previous years.

Have to get used to seeing people standing outside a bar and thinking there's a line, when it's just smokers standing outside....

Restaurants and bars complained when California went smoke-free-- and oddly enough, business increased! Even smokers appreciate the cleaner air inside these establishments (besides, many eateries and pubs set up outside patios for patrons to smoke-- a major plus in most people's eyes). Everyone adjusted and moved on....

I know, it is better for everyone. But I do miss sitting at a bar with a gin martini and a nice cigarette.........

Austin, TX, just went smoke free and I haven't heard too many complaints yet except that they need more ashtrays outside now!

All these smokers complain loudly and try to convince business owners that they'll "lose patrons" (like people who smoke are going to suddenly stop going out to eat, etc.)

The complaining suddenly decreases when these people get upper respiratory illnesses and lung cancer and then...as we all know..eventually, <b>everyone</b> stops smoking.

I'm from Austin--love it!!

I live in Eugene and its smoke free and
I love it- the smokers can drive over to Springfield if they want to smoke in a restaurant or bar .

We are building a new hospital here and will have a smokefree campus - as of now the smokers can go outside for a smoke but with the new hospital they cant even smoke on the property

sounds great to me -

It has been a great thing for my life (I'm in NYC) - it's saved me many loads of laundry and I can't remember the last time I had a sore throat. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I drink a lot more now because there is no longer a burning in my lungs that sends me fleeing the bar after just one beer.

Alisa, you can come here and smoke with your martini! We only have ONE smokefree bar with live music...tsk tsk.

The downside to having smoke-free restaurants in CA is that when we go outside to dine in the fresh air... it's not fresh because the smokers have been relegated to the best tables. If you know California weather, then you know the outdoor dining is at its finest until those with weak wills pollute the air for the rest of us who are too smart and/or too strong to smoke.

In NYC it's working beautifully. There hasn;t been any fall off in restaurant or bar revenues - and it's such a pleasure to go out without being asphyxiated.

And the outdoor cafe problem is also easily solved - make them smoke free too (most in NYC are - or at least in most part) as are a lot of other outdoor places - including all the sports stadia.

Linda,
Have you travelled much outside of the US/Canada? If not, you're in for big shock!

Durham, NC (where flue-cured tobacco was created) went smoke free a while ago even though the city still uses a tobacco leaf in it's seal. City motto is now &quot;City of Medicine&quot;

Chapel Hill/Orange Co. went smoke free before Durham and had some rules about if you're going to offer a smoking area it needs a separate ventalation system. One bar in CH (and it's changed hands a few times since) decided to be all smoking but city/county government didn't like that solution. The bar argued it couldn't put in a separate systems and was going to post notice on the front door, etc. so get over it.

One time within the past couple of years I was in Charlotte and was asked 'smoking or non-smoking' and I was huh what? you allow smoking?

And when I was in Amsterdam, there were non-smoking sections in some restaurants. And the hotel breakfast room has no-smoking signs in about 6 languages.

It's hard for kids now to know what to get or make for parents for holidays. We used to make ashtrays and buy cufflinks. Sometimes, we would get little scarves. Now, what can a kid get? Parents don't smoke. They don't wear cufflinks. They don't wear scarves. What is this world coming to?

As an ex smoker, it never bothered me. Only on rare occaision now does smoking bother me.

bardo, I've been loads of places, we travel frequently. Just got back from Switzerland where it was pretty bad.However, entire European countries are now going smoke free! Ireland, Italy,Sweden...well, check it out. We were in South Africa year before and it is smoke free! Amazing. Alberta was last year as well and the pub owner said his business was better. I am just curious to find out what others have noticed. Here's some up-to-date info from ASH
http://www.ash.org.uk/html/publicpla...ml/intlaw.html

Although I smoked in my youth, I am extremely sensitive to it now. And that isn't unusual despite the constant health negatives of cancer etc.- the allergy reaction is HORRIBLE, as well. My throat swells up after every wedding/ casino/ or any other smokey joint. I had to stop bowling because of it.

Well- Mike Ditka is fighting it tooth and nail in Chicago. It will probably go through eventually. I'm never around smoke much anymore and I don't go to bars. In travel, I have been overcome by cigarette smoke while waiting to get &quot;into&quot; restaurants. One time in SF, it was in a small foyer/hallway, supposedly &quot;outdoor&quot; area. Is the &quot;outdoors&quot; smoke free now as well in any public space?

I bet they never make the casinos smoke free.

There are many towns in the Red River Valley of ND and MN which are passing no smoking laws on many different levels in restaurants, bars, and public buildings. It is only a matter of time when smoking will be banned in all public spaces including those in my small town.

I can not wait for our local elected officials to enact clean air no-smoking laws to protect us. Some people think the rural midwest is behind the times. We are on top of health issues and getting rid of second-hand smoke where ever possible while we fight the tobacco lobbies and the elected officials who have been paid-off by them.

ncgirl - I don't understand how Durham and Chapel Hill are smoke free when we here in Charlotte just spent a few months lobbying the state legislature to allow local municipalities to ban smoking. The NC General Assembly passed a law in 1993 (GS 143-595-601) prohibiting any local government from banning smoking in public places. We were asking the legislature for an exemption to this for our county.

Did Durham and/or Chapel Hill pass their anti-smoking laws before 1993?