Smoking Ban

Travis Bernhardt

Essay one – final draft

Corley

Smoking ban

A smoking ban is defined by Wikipedia as “a public policy, including legal prohibitions and occupational health and safety regulations that restrict smoking in workplaces and public places.” The smoking ban in Auburn took place in November of 2006. It was a ban that was passed very quickly through the system. Not only has it affected smokers themselves, it has affected businesses along with the employees that work there. The ban was brought into effect very early and with little say from smokers or businesses alike. The rights of the smoker have been abolished due to this ban.

The rights of the smoker have been dwindling away for years now. In Auburn, it has gotten even worse. Not only can you not smoke inside anymore, you have to move ten feet away from a public entrance. If you are caught in that ten foot radius, you will receive a fine. The person that was caught in the act will be fined $40 and the bar itself can be fined up to $500. “The amount the bar is fined depends on the bar itself and the amount of people that are inside,” said Matt Spencer. Matt is a manager at a popular bar in Auburn called “Rooster’s Rhythm and Brews.” In bars that cater predominantly to smokers, it seems unjust to not allow them to smoke inside. There have been times when every single person in the bar was outside to smoke a cigarette, including employees. So why is there a ban for places like this? It seems like the city just wanted a change, a cleaner environment in which patrons wouldn’t have to deal with smoke and the smell that comes along with it. Matt Spencer also said, “A bunch of us marched to city hall to fight it but to no avail.” Roosters had no say at all about the ban and were forced into a non-smoking establishment.

The smoking ban was supposed to go into effect in November of this year. The date was, for some reason, moved forward an entire year. This increase in the processing of the ban made it difficult for some businesses to cope. At Rooster’s, every single night time employee smokes (this includes bar tenders, managers, and even the owner). Being a frequent customer of this establishment, I can honestly say that around 90%, if not more, or the customers smoke also. It doesn’t seem fair to penalize this bar due to the overwhelming amount of smokers there. A better solution would be to have some sort of fee that an establishment would have to pay in order to allow smoking inside their building. This would allow places, such as Rooster’s, to serve their patrons the way they want to be served. While talking with Matt Spencer, another topic came up that can result in jail time. Buffalo’s, another popular bar in Auburn, is located downtown and has no type of fenced in area for smokers to go. If a person were under the influence and wanted to smoke a cigarette, they would have to wander out onto the side walk to fulfill their need. While on the sidewalk, it is perfectly acceptable for a police officer to give a ticket or arrest a person for public intoxication. One bar has even taken it a step further. Buffalo Wild Wings employees have been banned from even smoking on the property. Not only can they not smoke inside anymore, they have to physically leave the property to enjoy their cigarette.

According to Matt Spencer, Roosters received a packet explaining the smoking ban just weeks before it went into effect. Luckily for them, they knew the ban was coming and adjusted for it accordingly. Needless to say, there was very little information provided to most bars in an appropriate time line. Businesses fought for their right but were shot down and eventually even upstaged when the ban was moved a year up. Roosters moved buildings toward the end of 2006 and went ahead and made the new building non smoking in an effort to smoothly transition customers.

There are other places in the United States that have