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Smoking Ban Begins Saturday
Posted: 04.30.2010 at 6:25 PM
21

You'll no longer be able to smoke in restaurants, bars, or other public places, except casinos.

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TRAVERSE CITY -- "I think it's a bunch of crap that they don't allow smoking at the bars," said disgruntled smoker Bill Foss.

Whether you agree or not, Friday night is the last chance for people to smoke in most work places, including bars.

The bill was signed by Governor Granholm in December, and it goes into affect at 6am Saturday morning.

"I think the lady needs to get out of the office, the lady who brought this crap up, now they got it everywhere else so they might as well do it here I guess, that's as much as I can say about it," said Foss.

"Personally, I don't think a little cigarette smoke is as bad as starting your car every day, so that's pretty much my thoughts on that," said Katharine O'Brien, who's annoyed with the new law.

A couple smokers stating their opinion while having a couple more smokes in a bar before Saturday, when Michigan's Smoking Ban kicks in and the butts will be out for good in most public places.

"I think the Government has always stepped in to do too much for the wrong reason and not enough for the right," said O'Brien.

Tammy Arbuckle is the manager of Dillinger's and Bootlegger's bar in Traverse City. She says not only is it picking at the nerve of many patrons, the new law and the enforcement of it are ambiguous.

"Obviously we're going to comply, obviously we're going to do our part to make sure people aren't smoking in here, but what what do we do when people don't stop when we ask them to stop," said Arbuckle.

When the smoking ban goes into affect tomorrow and ash trays are no longer needed, if someone is caught smoking, it's a $100 fine to the business for the first offense.

"I think it's wrong that they're dictating what you can and can't do in your business, what else are they going to tell us what we can't do in a business," said Arbuckle.

Arbuckle says there's mixed reaction from people and their feelings about the ban, but she doesn't like it. The health department says the ban has countless health benefits. Regardless, the ban goes into affect tomorrow at six am.

One place you'll still be able to light that cigarette--the 23 michigan casinos.

Some cigar bars and tobacco specialty shops will also be exempt.

Local Health Departments will be in charge of enforcement.

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