And on a different note...the State Legislature today voted to ban almost all indoor cigarette smoking, and the Governor (a former smoker) is planning to sign the bill into law. The law is scheduled to go into effect on Nov. 16.
The State of Washington passed a similar bill last year, and of course the barkeeps were the ones who were the most vocal about the ban because our law says there can't be smoking within 25 feet (in Hawai'i it's only 20 feet) of the front door or any window, and historically, alcohol and cigarettes have always been associated with each other. We've had a no smoking law in effect for public buildings and restaurants for a couple of years; last year they added bars to the list of places banning smokers. The only exception to the smoking ban is the Indian casinos (nonIndian casinos must enforce the nosmoking ban, too)
So far, much to the dismay of the people who were against the bill, there hasn't been a massive closure of bars around town, although one bar did decide to break the law and now has to pay all kinds of fines.
I like that nonsmokers can now go into a bar and not walk out of it with their clothes reeking with the smell of stale cigarettes.
Miulang
The State of Washington passed a similar bill last year, and of course the barkeeps were the ones who were the most vocal about the ban because our law says there can't be smoking within 25 feet (in Hawai'i it's only 20 feet) of the front door or any window, and historically, alcohol and cigarettes have always been associated with each other. We've had a no smoking law in effect for public buildings and restaurants for a couple of years; last year they added bars to the list of places banning smokers. The only exception to the smoking ban is the Indian casinos (nonIndian casinos must enforce the nosmoking ban, too)
So far, much to the dismay of the people who were against the bill, there hasn't been a massive closure of bars around town, although one bar did decide to break the law and now has to pay all kinds of fines.
I like that nonsmokers can now go into a bar and not walk out of it with their clothes reeking with the smell of stale cigarettes.
Miulang
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