** Bar owners SUPPORT smoking bans ! **
Reality_CheckŠ
the first year of Ohio's statewide smoking ban, an association of bar owners
became the anti-tobacco movement's greatest friend.
It was a strange-bedfellow accident of politics.
The powerful and well-funded Ohio Licensed Beverage Association was fighting
to keep fraternal clubs and veteran's groups - such as Veterans of Foreign
Wars halls and Moose lodges - from landing special smoking privileges that
the association perceived would give those venues an edge over bars. In the
process, the association scored two major court victories that prevented
smoking from wafting back into places where it had been prohibited.
To Tracy Sabetta, co-chair of Smoke Free Ohio, which put the smoking ban
issue on the 2006 ballot, letting the Ohio Department of Health's exceptions
for veterans' and fraternal groups stand could easily have set off a domino
effect of smoking exemptions.
Sabetta doesn't give the Licensed Beverage Association all the credit,
noting that the American Cancer Society where she works filed a similar
lawsuit against the Health Department rules. But she does see the irony.
"So rarely do these two sides end up on the same side of an argument," she
said.
Jacob Evans, a lobbyist for the Licensed Beverage Association, laughs at the
idea of the two groups being pals. It was his association that crafted a
less stringent smoking ban in 2006 and worked to place it alongside
Sabetta's issue on the ballot. That issue lost.
"I would be in shock if they said we've been friends of the Cancer Society,"
he said. "I don't know what they think of us. Regardless of what we thought
was best, we proceeded with what the voters approved two Novembers ago to
make sure bar owners were protected."
Evans' group intends to continue pushing its message in the state
Legislature this year: the smoking restrictions are bad for business.
"Absolutely we have some members that have a clientele that doesn't care to
have smoking, and they will continue not to," he said. "But there are a
great deal of our members whose businesses are dying on the vine because of
this."
Sabetta heads into 2008 armed with poll findings that suggest the less smoke
Ohioans encounter, the more they like it.
A survey conducted in November found that 80 percent of Ohio voters support
the smoking ban a year in, compared to 58 percent who voted for it in 2006.
The ban made cigarettes off limits in workplaces, public buildings, offices,
restaurants and bars.
The reason for the increase?
"It was that they have enjoyed going out to bars and restaurants and bowling
alleys and not having to be exposed to the smoke, they can now work and play
smoke-free," Sabetta said. "And they recognize it's a health hazard."
More than half of those surveyed also said they are more likely to visit a
bar or restaurant now that smoking is prohibited - 53 percent for
restaurants, and 55 percent for bars. (A little less than half said the same
for bowling alleys.)
But Evans said those statistics aren't yet being felt by bars that belong to
his association.
"The reason we brought the (legal) action was if the Department of Health's
rules were allowed to stand, what has been a slow death for bars would have
been sped up greatly," he said.
He is awaiting word on whether Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann will appeal
the ruling of the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals - which upheld a lower
court ruling that said the ban also applies to veterans' groups and
fraternal clubs.
Until then, Sabetta said the smoking rate in Ohio continues to fall. It now
stands at 20.5 percent, down from 26.3 percent in 2000.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
Reality_CheckŠ
The BIG N
Hey dopey troll, we got the cut n' paste the first time around. Manic
much? LOL!
BTW what's with the "©"? You have no need to protect your silly and
banal "handle", clown.
Say there, Reality_Chick, are you going to be our new "Nits Watson-
like search and cut goober"? Good start, doofus,
The BIG N© - I gots 'em© , I smokes 'em©
rj
> COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -
> The powerful and well-funded Ohio Licensed Beverage Association was fighting
> to keep fraternal clubs and veteran's groups - such as Veterans of Foreign
> Wars halls and Moose lodges - from landing special smoking privileges that
> the association perceived would give those venues an edge over bars.
>
> To Tracy Sabetta, co-chair of Smoke Free Ohio, which put the smoking ban
> issue on the 2006 ballot, letting the Ohio Department of Health's exceptions
> for veterans' and fraternal groups stand could easily have set off a domino
> effect of smoking exemptions.
>
> Evans' group intends to continue pushing its message in the state
> Legislature this year: the smoking restrictions are bad for business.
>
> "Absolutely we have some members that have a clientele that doesn't care to
> have smoking, and they will continue not to," he said. "But there are a
> great deal of our members whose businesses are dying on the vine because of
> this."
The reason the bar owners are not in favor is the mass exodus they
would suffer in favor of these private clubs that would allow
smoking. Ironic, I thought most patrons in ohio prefer a smoke free
environment. Why not scrap this law & let the free market decide?
Rb Man
Folks,
Please remember that it WAS the legion members that gave these stupid
people the freedom to screw the rest of us smokers, (pipe, cig, cigar)
and this is what we get.
I wonder what would be said if they had to wear funny hair cuts and wear
a small stash. I wonder if they took that into consideration?
The governments gave smokes to the troops. Now when they can't defend
themselves they kick them when their down. I support the troops past and
present.
Long live freedom.
Bruce.
Bull_Shi...@yahoo.com
> Bruce.- >
Palmers Tavern in Hibbing has been in business nearly fifteen years.
Owner John Larson says he'd expected business to take a hit after the
new law went into effect and he did immediately.
He says this October he sold nearly thirty percent product than
October of 2006.
And the biggest hit was the weekday afternoon crowd.
"The people getting done with work that want to have a couple of
beers, a couple of cigarettes, and go home.
These people don't go out at night, they don't go out on weekends,
this was the only time we'd see them, and many I haven't seen since
October first."
He says he expects numbers to be down until the patio opens up in
spring, and while some local bars haven't taken much of a hit, he
doesn't know of anyone that's seen an increase in business.
"Our reps have said they're at least 30 to 35% down in sales, I do
know of a place in Orr that's already begun laying off people because
of it."
The bar is selling the rest of its cigarette inventory and won't be
renewing that license next year. Sales there have, of course, dropped
as well.
"We used to sell ten or twelve cartons a month and there's not a good
markup for that, but it does show what kind of customer base we had."
He says pull tab sales are also nearly thirty percent lower than
normal.
"I see the same regular players but don't see them gambling as much,
some would spend several hundred a night, and now instead of playing
for three hours they're here maybe an hour."
The non-smokers who frequent the bar, he says, are happy with the new
rules.
But those are people that are there several times a week. He hasn't
seen any new customers taking advantage of the smoke-free environment.
"I'd be interested in asking the non-smokers that say they haven't
come out in ten, fifteen years that stood in front of the county and
said, we're ready to go out. Geez, I'd like to see it - we've been
here for 15 years, now we're smoke free, you wanted it so here it is!"
In Hibbing ,Chris Buckley the Northland's NewsCenter.
TRUTH
Cheep people SUCK It.
Money Talks