At the VFW hall in Traverse City you can find a lot of traditions, but one of them is going away come May 1st. As veterans share each other's company over a drink, many also choose to smoke. That will change because the state's new smoking ban goes into effect at the end of the month, and as Grand Traverse County Health Department Specialist Tom Buss explains "if you go to a restaurant or to a bar any public place as far as that is concerned you no longer can smoke in public inside those establishments."
That's one of the reasons why the former cigarette machine is empty, and ready to be rolled out at the VFW. Come the end of the month there will be no smoking here or just about any public place in the state. The only exemptions are gaming floors at a few Detroit casinos, American Indian casinos, cigar bars, tobacco specialty shops, home offices without employees, and cars. Other than that, lighting up inside a public place could cost the smoker or the business owner a $100 ticket for a first time offense.
That's the law, but viewers wondered, "whose going to enforce it and how?"
I made some phone calls and Mr. Buss told me "ultimately the health department is going to enforce the food service part of it as far as restaurants and bars." At workplaces or businesses, the state's Department of Community health will be the enforcing agency. Regardless of who is enforcing the law though, Mr. Buss imagines most problems will stop at this level, "I think the only time the police will really be involved in this is if someone is in a restaurant or bar or business and they are asked to stop smoking and they will not stop smoking, it could become an issue where they might call for backup."
As it turns out both enforcing agencies will be relying on and responding to complaints from the public because Mr. Buss explains "we are not going to make special trips to restaurant and bars to make compliance inspections, however when we are there for routine inspections at that time we are going to check to see if there is any smoking paraphernalia there or other evidence of smoking."
And if evidence is found, and a violations suspected, according to Mr. Buss "the intent initially is that we are not going to send people out probably to the establishment the idea is that we would probably give them a call to try and gain compliance possibly send some information, door stickers brochures."
So what do you think about Michigan's new smoking ban? Is it a step in the right direction or should it be up to customers and business owners? Let me know. Leave a comment below.
