mushrat Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 NC is trying to pass a smoking ban. Here's a letter I sent to a local newspaper that was printed.http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letter...ry/1461525.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColibriDon Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 ...I am so tired of these freaking smoking bans! I really hope this doesn't go through because I can't stand to see another lounge shut down do to pain in the ass legislature. Nice letter though, Mush. Hopefully more people will see it and realize that there are legitimate business owners who really do depend on their own small businesses to keep running. Although I have to ask...what's the point of this proposed ban? People clearly enjoy smoking, as long as the people are there by their own free will, what's the issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coplinb Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Good job Mush, and dont pay any attention to hoards of people that will be giving you grief in the comment section. Keep Hope Alive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJCrusader Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 An exception for the owners of hookah bars doesn't seem unreasonable...Here in IL we have smoking bans, but in Cigar shops and Hookah lounges people are still allowed to smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inino Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 the nht directed comment made me laugh. that guy's point is very obscure. ehh everyones a critic i guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchard Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Yeah, because tobacco and that NHT are SOOOOOOOOOOOO similar. What a retard. That just goes to show how stupid people sound when they chime in on topics they know nothing about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinamon Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 awesome letter, mush. i hope things work out for you and the other hookah bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codename067 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Nice one Mush. You are indeed doing your part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Click Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Nice. Short and sweet. Good points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1v3th3ad Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 well done Mush, maybe it'll lighten the damages a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyj316 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Nice letter mush... you would think the heart of tobacco country wouldn't pass a smoking ban... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd4snd Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 You know Mush, in my city in Ohio they passed a smoking ban city wide, but a lot of hookah bars stay in business. I think there is an exception for hookah because technically you aren't smoking, you are vaporizing. I would look into a loophole like that to ensure that even if the ban did pass, you would not have to worry about anything.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HippieB.A.M. Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Nice letter mush... hope everything works out.. would be a big bummer to have to close shop over this stupied stuff.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuburbanSmoker Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 man thats a huge bummer. when are they going to just leave hookah alone and stop with all of these bullshit laws and bans. /cry. i hope everything works out in your favor mush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freezerburn456 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 They recently did that in the town that my bar is located in. Luckily half of our business was labeled as a tobacco store, but the other half was labeled as a restaurant. In order for the restaurant to not get shut down we had to build a wall about 1/3 way through the eating area. Our ban stated that there could be no smoking within 15 feet of food preperation areas. Luckily we were able to get around it that way, but now no one sits in the non smoking area and we have lost 1/3 of our space to make money. People come to a hookah bar to smoke. I think that it is completely fucking rediculous to ban smoking in an establishment meant entirely for smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ04 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 good work. short and sweet, indeed. and i feel for you and wish you the best!and like mentioned before, if all else fails, go for the loopholes. i heard about a place a few years ago, in NY perhaps, that got around the smoking ban. people were allowed to smoke in their shop because the customers would choose a tobacco and they'd roll the cigarettes for you, so they classified themselves as light manufacturing or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikemyusername Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 best of luck with it man, i hope it all works out, if not, we can Burn dem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylren Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Good letter, hopefully someone will listen. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 QUOTE (nd4snd @ Mar 31 2009, 06:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>You know Mush, in my city in Ohio they passed a smoking ban city wide, but a lot of hookah bars stay in business. I think there is an exception for hookah because technically you aren't smoking, you are vaporizing. I would look into a loophole like that to ensure that even if the ban did pass, you would not have to worry about anything....do you mind if i ask what town? i'd like to send my local house rep. a copy of a law with exceptions to help them word their Bill.Thanks.And thanks to all of you who expressed support. We're going to need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voski Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Have your customers sign a petition. Just put it in a clipboard and have it on top of the table near where they pay. I am pretty sure most of them would be college students who wouldn't mind taking the petition on campus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuburbanSmoker Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 you should make an e petition now that i think about it. It would allow the voices of more people be heard through out your area if you can get it posted on a local news site or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sariél Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 The letter to the editor is a good start.Here is my standard response to web based petitions:And an online petition is completely useless. With no way of verifying signatures, they carry no weight. If you want to make a difference: (in order of preference)1: Talk to your congressman or relevant official in person.2: Write a letter. A real one, on paper, and mail it with a stamp.3: Call the official.4: Sign a hardcopy, verifiable petition (with full name and address) that will be delivered to said official.5: Send an email with your personal info (not hotstuff69@yahoo.com). Chances are it will get read by an underling, but probably filtered out as spam.6: Shout it on the streetcorner.7: whisper it into a knothole, in the hope that fairies will carry your message to their king.8 Then, if you're bored, sign an online petition and circulate it around myspace, as we all know how much Congress listens to underage girls and middle-age perverts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blastoffbrett Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 QUOTE (mushrat @ Mar 31 2009, 05:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (nd4snd @ Mar 31 2009, 06:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>You know Mush, in my city in Ohio they passed a smoking ban city wide, but a lot of hookah bars stay in business. I think there is an exception for hookah because technically you aren't smoking, you are vaporizing. I would look into a loophole like that to ensure that even if the ban did pass, you would not have to worry about anything....do you mind if i ask what town? i'd like to send my local house rep. a copy of a law with exceptions to help them word their Bill.Thanks.And thanks to all of you who expressed support. We're going to need it.Sorry if I'm stealing his reply but I know him personally so it's all good. The city is Akron. They actually opened the hookah bar after the state-wide ban was passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weavit Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I have heard of a lot of Hookah bars staying open after an indoor anti-smoking law is passed, even without it saying in the law that hookah bars are exempt.mostly because people EXPECT smoking to be happening in a Hookah bar, all you'd probably get would be a small fine.As a fellow NC resident I'll have to keep an eye on this bill, there's only one Hookah lounge where I live (Asheville) and that's my prime hang-out location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportsfan6216 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) My local hookah bar requires a membership. It says somewhere in Wa state law something about private clubs being exempt from the smoking ban so they charge a monster $2 for a lifetime membership...... maybe an idea for helping word the law as well? Edited April 1, 2009 by sportsfan6216 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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