|
|
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
|
|
NO SMOKING: It's the law
Senior Reporter A lot can change in a day.
As of Monday, Minnesota's Freedom to Breathe Act went into effect and smoking inside bars and restaurants was prohibited.
Handfuls of people stood outside on the sidewalks or in parking lots to smoke Monday night shortly after the dinner hour. But there weren't large numbers. Some sat in their vehicles to light up. Responses were mixed.
For some it was a matter of the government taking away individual freedoms and harming livelihoods. For others it was a welcome relief, a reason to go out more and an incentive to quit smoking.
|
|
|
|
Marissa Goble, bartender at Poncho and Lefty's, said Monday she likes Minnesota's Freedom to Breathe Act that went in effect Monday because she didn't like smoke being blown in her face.
Brainerd Dispatch/Clint Wood
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
|
|
|
|
|
Either way, it was a momentous shift. One bartender who was in a downtown bar with just two patrons said the effect was obvious and negative for the business. A year from now he said it won't be a big issue, but for the bar it would be a question of surviving the next few months.
"I'm used to smoking outside," said Kathy Krueger of West St. Paul. "I don't mind going outside."
Krueger and fellow letter carrier Chris Antoncich, St. Paul, were in Brainerd for a convention and were headed to the Brainerd VFW. They were smoking in the parking lot by the VFW's back door just outside the Blue Ox bar. They were part of the group of letter carriers who spend the first weekend in October in the lakes area to play bingo, visit a variety of places and have what they describe as a blast, complete with designated drivers.
"I'm totally against it," Antoncich said. "I think it's the stupidest thing they could have done."
|
|
|
|
Chris Antoncich of St. Paul and Kathy Krueger of West St. Paul, among letter carriers attending a convention in Brainerd, smoked their cigarettes outside the Brainerd VFW Post No. 1647 Monday Minnesota's "Freedom to Breathe Act" also went in effect Monday. Brainerd Dispatch/Clint Wood
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
|
|
|
|
|
They both felt the decision to be smoke-free or not should have been left up to the individual business owners. They expected the law change to kill smaller businesses. Antoncich said people will buy a case of beer and smoke at home instead of going out. And those smoking regulars were bringing in more money for the bar business than the less regular visits from non-smokers.
"I don't think government should have that much control over people," Krueger said.
"This isn't California," Antoncich said, noting the harsh winter climate here is going to keep people from wanting to smoke outdoors year round. "The people who wanted to push the ban don't go to bars."
At the VFW, Brainerd letter carrier John Weinhandl said for the most part people were receptive to the change.
Minnesota became the 17th state to establish a statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, the AP reported.
The Tobacco Free Community Coalition hosted an event at Shep's on 6th. Volunteers distributed informational kits about going smoke-free to more than 350 businesses in Crow Wing County. The kits included fact sheets on how the law applied to bars and restaurants and included a window sign stating the business was smoke-free.
|
|
|
|
The bar at the VFW Post No. 1647 in Brainerd didn't seem to be affected on the first day of Minnesota's Freedom to Breathe Act. There was a Monday night crowd. Brainerd Dispatch/Clint Wood
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
|
|
|
|
|
"I've had really positive responses from the businesses, believe it or not," said Gwen Anderson, registered nurse/public health nurse manager with Crow Wing County Public Health. Susan Hobbs was one of the volunteers who visited businesses in Crosby and Merrifield.
"I think it's wonderful," Hobbs said. "Now there are restaurants we can go to without paying to inhale smoke."
Hobbs said while she was delivering informational kits, a waitress whispered that she couldn't wait for the day the smoking ban would be in place. Another business told her they would be financially destroyed by going smoke-free. Hobbs was sitting with Roger Meland, Merrifield, who said they'd go out more now that establishments were smoke-free.
"There were a lot of places we wouldn't go because of the smoke," Meland said.
The lack of smoke was noticeable. Blue hazes in bars were non existent.
"I can breathe," said Archie Katchie, Brainerd VFW commander, who has asthma. The VFW had a crowd of people in playing bingo. Katchie said he's heard from a handful of people that they won't go to the VFW anymore. But Katchie said he believes they'll come back eventually, perhaps in a few days. The VFW was instituting smoking breaks during bingo to give people time to light up outside.
Smoker Laurie Owen, Baxter, was in favor of the ban, saying it will bring non smokers into the bars.
"It's a good thing," Owen said. "I think it's going to make people quit."
Non-smoker Brenda Kosel, Brainerd, said she enjoyed the change but thought it was sad the government has to get involved.
For restaurants, gone are the days of asking patrons if they want smoking or non. At Poncho and Lefty's in Baxter manager Misty Ringler said they stumbled over that a few times Monday, asking it out of habit. The bar business was slower than normal, but not horrible, Ringler said.
Online resources
For help in quitting smoking, go online.
QuitAssist Online, an information resource by Philip Morris USA at www.pmusa.com/en/quitassist, offers assistance for those who want to quit smoking.
|
"It smells so much better in here," Ringler said. "I noticed it right away when I got here."
Ringler said people go out to socialize, talk to others, even people watch and it will be hard to do all of that at home. Regulars who said Saturday they weren't coming back, were in on Monday.
Bartender Marissa Goble said two men at the bar asked her if she smelled something. When she asked what they meant, they said "fresh air."
"I like it, not having smoke blown in my face," Goble said.
Another customer who was going to light up was reminded by his friends that was no longer allowed. Poncho's ashtrays were already packed up and will be sent to another store in another state.
For Mike McFarland, owner of Paul Bunyan Sports Bar ad Grill in Baxter, said the small number of customers in the bar was testament to the negative effects of the smoking ban. Tom Brady, New England Patriots quarterback, was on the bar's TV screen for "Monday Night Football," but few people were there to watch.
McFarland, himself a non-smoker, said about 20 people would usually be there.
"I might not be able to keep my bar and my bowling alley," McFarland said, noting studies point to a loss of 15 percent to 20 percent of business in the first year following a ban. "It's big government telling us what to do. A gradual ban would have helped, McFarland said. Now he expects to let staff go.
"It's really sad they can just go and take away our livelihoods," McFarland said. "They took away our freedoms today."
Beyond the loss of freedom to smoke a legal product in a private business, McFarland said he'll take a hit in his revenues. "That's tough. I hope that I can make it."
That's tough. I hope that I can make it."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
|
|
|
Thinking about a New Job?
These employers want you!
|
Loading...
|
|
|
Today's Best Classifieds:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Overcast, 61°
