Clearing the air: Voters approve smoking ban by wide margin
Here’s the good news, smokers: You’ve got over a year to get used to puffing outside.
Voters in St. Louis County have overwhelmingly approved a ban on smoking in restaurants and most other indoor businesses. The vote means that smoke-free legislation approved by St. Louis aldermen — which was contingent on a similar proposal passing in the county — will also become law.
Both the county and city prohibitions will not go into effect until January 2011. And both measures contain plenty of exceptions.
In the county, “drinking establishments,” defined as bars who make a quarter or less of their sales from food, can still allow smoking. In the city, “small bars,” those with no more than 2,000 square feet of service space, will have five extra years to comply.
Casinos floors in St. Louis city and county will also be exempt.
The margin of victory leaves little room for interpretation. Though turnout was relatively light– about 20 percent — the smoking ban won with 65 percent of the vote.
Mr. Wagman,
The mob has spoken.
YHS,
JPinSTL
Excellent news for St. Louis!
Awesome. Wish it was sooner! Thanks, St. Louis Co.
Democracy in action y’all! Make no mistake: this is good for business and for public health- these two goals are not at odds as some would have you believe.
@ Jake Wegman: turnout was relatively what? Good-looking? Smart? Fancy? Nice em dashes though.
The next thing the government will go after are overweight people because if they fall on you you’ll get hurt..or when we have the public option on health care you’ll submit to a in house search to make sure all your food and life style conforms to specific standards..
Goodbye U S of A.
Way to go, County voters. Thank you for your emphatic support of clean air. Tomorrow - let’s go after those casino exemptions and make this law fair to all businesses.
Now lets hope the individual municipalities put some bite to this cowardly attempt at a ban instead of creating an unlevel playing field in the restaurant/bar industry. I love the fact the people have spoken. Good for them. But before the elected officials pat themselves on the back, I hope they make sure they fix it right.
Well, Bob, hopefully before the government goes after overweight people that “fall on you”, they’ll go after idiots who fail at logic but still have access to the Internet.
This is a “smoking” huge loss for the tea party anarchists who want to eliminate all government. It’s a huge win for liberty and free air.
EXCELLENT news! Now St. Louis can join other major cities like New York and New Orleans. And by the way, folks, smoking bans in those cities have not hurt business at all. Yipppeeee!