NJ Bans Smoking!!!

[tiggerlover]

I was so happy when NY did this, now if VA could just follow suit I would be a happy girl!

 

[Nancy]

I think it's great for restaurants, but I feel sorry for bar owners. No one who smokes is going to be going into a bar if they can't smoke. IMO, it's asking too much of them and perhaps many will go out of business.

NY has not had smoking in public places for a while now. All the doomsayers that said bars would close were wrong. Some did, but they would probably not have survived anyhow...most of the young adult hangouts are still going strong...no smoking hasn't hurt business. Now all the non-smokers can go out and spend their money there.

 

[Tracey1974]

Ahh yes. No more showers when I come home at night because I can't stand the smell of smoke on me!

That is the best thing!!! I'm very happy for that bill!

 

[wvjules]

Ahh yes. No more showers when I come home at night because I can't stand the smell of smoke on me!

Do you people not shower at night normally?????

 

[Caradana]

I think it's great for restaurants, but I feel sorry for bar owners. No one who smokes is going to be going into a bar if they can't smoke. IMO, it's asking too much of them and perhaps many will go out of business.

Come visit a bar in NYC. The nonsmokers drink in contented air-purified happiness inside; the smokers leave once an hour to huddle and shiver outside with their cigarettes. The amusing side effect is that the smokers do wind up meeting outside, and eventually dating each other.

There's still a bar on practically every corner! The ban on smoking didn't visibly affect revenues.

 

[disneysteve]

Do you people not shower at night normally?????

There is a difference between hopping in the shower before bed after I'm home and settled and having to hang up my coat in the garage to air it out, strip in the kitchen and throw my clothes down the basement and get in the shower immediately upon returning home. Not to mention having to clean the interior of my car the next day to rid it of the stale smoke odor.

 

[Caradana]

Does this go into effect immediately?

I relate to what disneysteve is saying. We were out in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, and my jacket still smells like raunchy stale smoke.

 

[Aidensmom]

For as much as I hate being around smokers, I cannot condone enforcing these laws on private restaurant owners. Just like we have the choice to change the channel on our televisions, we have the choice to not eat at establishments with smoke.

And believe me, I wish all restaurants were smoke-free, but by the choice of the restaurant owner, not the government.

I agree. This law went into effect in FL a while back. As much as it benefits me, as I have asthma, I don't think this is the realm of the government but should be a decision made by business owners.

And I can point you right out to the bars where you can still smoke, even though they serve food. The management at a lot of places figures that they will let people smoke unless they get caught, and so far no one has made complaints apparantly.

 

[disneysteve]

Does this go into effect immediately?

The ban goes into effect 3 months after the governor signs it, so sometime in April hopefully.

 

[lsyorke]

I wonder who's responsible for enforcing this??? The business owner who didn't want it??

OK, let me ask the non smokers a question. Would a bill that required a restaurant/bar to specifically designate if they were completely non smoking or completely smoking have worked for you?? Just curious.

 

[KarenAylwood]

They did this in NY a few years ago- it's amazing. I went to school in VA and now live here but go home to NY multiple times a year. It's GREAT!!

DBF (from VA originally) and I went to my home in NY right after Christmas this year. We walked into a restaurant and he said "two for non-smoking". The guy just looked at him and said "you're in New York, buddy."

I would LOVE it if they would do this in VA. I'd seriously throw a party.

But we "rest on our tobacco crop" or some crap like that. Ugh.

I'd bet we're the last ones to join the crowd.


Edited to add: NY did a study and found that business revenues were not hurt at all by the passing of the no-smoking law. However, I went to Ireland w/ DBF recently to visit his family and smoking is outlawed there too! Studies showed that it hurt pub business a LOT after the law was passed.

 

[lsyorke]

The NY study compared 2001(right after 9/11) and 2002. Not a true record of business at it's best. This was brought out in the assembly meeting last week.

Look ,I don't have any problem with a smoking ban in government buildings, schools, churches,hospitals. I DO have a BIG problem with government telling a private business owner what he can and can't do on his own property that he paid for and owns regarding a legal substance. That's my gripe here and I don't think I'm alone in this.

Make the business designate smoking or non smoking. Then everyone can make their own choice on where they will go or not go.

 

[KarenAylwood]

I wonder who's responsible for enforcing this??? The business owner who didn't want it??

OK, let me ask the non smokers a question. Would a bill that required a restaurant/bar to specifically designate if they were completely non smoking or completely smoking have worked for you?? Just curious.

So you mean, build another area just for smokers? Most bars or restaurants don't really have the ability to do this. A restaurant for instance, has a bar along with an area for those who want table service. If you cut off the two areas for table service (smoking/nonsmoking) what do you do with the bar? How do you keep the smoke smell from coming out of the smoking area (other than a wall w/ a door)?

And when it comes to a bar- do you build another area just for smokers? I have been to mulitple bars that are just that- a bar with some tables around, no real ability to separate between smoking and nonsmoking anyway.

I think that restaurant owners would have a much bigger issue with this idea than just banning smoking altogether. It's not a foreign concept- it's been done successfully in many states.

Just IMO of course.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that designating certain bars or restaurants as private clubs for smokers should be allowed. It is a legal activity and I don't see why they can't have places set up just for themselves if they wish to.

I also find it ironic that a policeman would pull over someone who's leaving a bar. Going to a bar is allowed and the place is specifically for drinking of course. So should those be banned too?

 

[lsyorke]

No, not just an area. The restaurant and bar would be designated a smoking allowed building or no smoking allowed across the board. The patron could then make a decision to eat/drink there or not based on their preferences.

This would allow the small Mom and Pop bar to continue doing business as usual and non smokers would know that this bar allows smoking, for example.

 

[lsyorke]

I think that designating certain bars or restaurants as private clubs for smokers should be allowed. It is a legal activity and I don't see why they can't have places set up just for themselves if they wish to.

I also find it ironic that a policeman would pull over someone who's leaving a bar. Going to a bar is allowed and the place is specifically for drinking of course. So should those be banned too?

Private clubs are included in this ban in N.J. Kiwanis Clubs, Knights of Columbus, VFW etc can no longer smoke in the buildings.

 

[Planogirl]

Private clubs are included in this ban in N.J. Kiwanis Clubs, Knights of Columbus, VFW etc can no longer smoke in the buildings.

That is wrong IMO. Private establishments should be allowed to designate which legal activities they will allow. I can't believe that everyone is so overjoyed about this level of government interference.

 

[Aidensmom]

That is wrong IMO. Private establishments should be allowed to designate which legal activities they will allow. I can't believe that everyone is so overjoyed about this level of government interference.

I think it is downright scary.

 

[staci]

I think this is awesome. Our old town did it a few years back. The local papers did report some unhappy customers, but when interviewing some of the businesses, there didnt seem to be much of a change in business.

Where we live now does not have this, but typically the smoking section has no wait and the non smoking does. I know of a few restaurants who have switched so during their busy times they do not allow smoking anywhere just to accomodate the majority of their customers. It does still seem to linger in the air though.

From a health standpoint, this is awesome. My dad has always had breathing difficulties due to asthma, and cannot be around smoke which influenced where we could dine (even some places with separate sections share the same air). My parents use to enjoy dancing, but in our area the only places to go dancing are smoking enviroments, so they had to stop years ago. Now as I am developing asthma with this pregnancy, and everything is setting me off, I appreciate so much better the health side of it.

 

[RangerPooh]

California has had one for a number of years and I appreciated it. I don't enjoy smelling the smoke while eating. I had a hard time adjusting to this when I went to Vegas a few years back. When I moved to Washington state I found it awkward to be ask if I wanted a smoking or non-smoking section.

In November Washington voted for a smoking ban and won by a landslide! Yippie for us non-smokers. The news said that less than 30% of the state is smokers, so why do the rest of us have to endure it? People were complaining that they would lose business due to the smoking ban. BTW, you can't smoke within 20' of a buisness (people break this one because they don't want to stand in the rain, and they are supposed to be fined). If anything the ban would bring buisness to bars/resturaunts that don't allow it due to people not wanting to be there with smokers.

Well now people are trying to get a peice of legislation (?) passed to allow buisnesses to allow smoking IF they have lost at least 10% revenue in the last month. Apparently people have been claiming to have lost a bunch of money. Sure If you think of all the bars near colleges where people went home for the month of December/January.

I really hope that this doesn't get passed. I like my lungs and would like to keep them healthy.