Doing My Part!

[redjako]

Salt Lake City recently implemented a ban on indoor smoking...its silly they're aren't exceptions for hookah's, the lounges are dying (since they use cheap herbal stuff).

Even as a former ciggie smoker myself I like the ban on smoking for bars, but really, Hookah is no where near the same with second hand, carcinogens, TAR, anything as a cigarette.

Good letter.

[LJ04]

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?

i was just telling my gf about this ridiculousness, and she suggested the possibility of a membership. beat me to it!

[mushrat]

So i got all dressed up and went to talk to my local representative. She says they really didn't think about hookah and cigar bars.

She called me later from a meeting with the main sponsor to ask some questions. 2 days later this happens:

http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/4864446/

have a meeting with one of the other sponsors tomorrow morning.

[Scalliwag]

Well, I hope things go in your favor Mush. Politicians are so damn out of touch it can be hard to reason to them

[mushrat]

So i put it to you...if other hookah bar owners in other states had made some sort of effort to actually DO something, instead of merely complaining, do you think there would have been more states with exceptions? Especially for existing businesses?

[jezter6]

Doing the work and getting out there will always do more than bitching.

Congrats to you for standing up for this, because people don't always think about "the other guy" when they come up with these ideas, they just spout off brilliant ideas that sound good to THEM, but never think about people who might not agree with the idea.


Besides, this is gov't - there's ALWAYS an exception somewhere.

[freezerburn456]

Mush-

When Richardson was banning smoking we had people fill out full petitions, cast absentee ballots, and put flyers all through the city informing people of the vote and asking them not to vote for it. After all of that fuss the city council finally granted us a special hearing. We brought corporate people from fox and hound, and brinker. They had full length presentations on how a smoking ban would affect the city.

Sadly after all of that they still passed the ban. I guess bullshit outweighs common sense. After that 2 of our competing bars went out of business, and one other had to shut down its food operations.

[mushrat]

Mush-

When Richardson was banning smoking we had people fill out full petitions, cast absentee ballots, and put flyers all through the city informing people of the vote and asking them not to vote for it. After all of that fuss the city council finally granted us a special hearing. We brought corporate people from fox and hound, and brinker. They had full length presentations on how a smoking ban would affect the city.

Sadly after all of that they still passed the ban. I guess bullshit outweighs common sense. After that 2 of our competing bars went out of business, and one other had to shut down its food operations.

Ah, well...i guess soemtimes there is nothing you can do. But atleast you can say you tried.

I'd make sure I worked for who ever was running against these people in the next election.

[duckah]

Some facts are a little off here about Illinois' smoking ban. Here, smoking has been banned from all restaurants now, so any serving hookah lounge here isn't allowed to serve food. They get around it by selling packaged foods and bottled drinks, and the state requires a high % of sales to be from tobacco and related products.

[PJCrusader]

Some facts are a little off here about Illinois' smoking ban. Here, smoking has been banned from all restaurants now, so any serving hookah lounge here isn't allowed to serve food. They get around it by selling packaged foods and bottled drinks, and the state requires a high % of sales to be from tobacco and related products.

Maybe the businesses that I spoke of just aren't reputable. I do live in a rather shady county.

[srawas89]

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....

Hey mush the Ohio smoking ban has an exception. If your store is a smoke shop or tobacco store you can smoke inside. Basically any business that earns a big amount due to the sales in tobacco they are allowed to smoke inside that store. (I am not sure on the percentage). Just thought you should know.

[An1m]

Well written man, I'd write your congressman and senators. That's what they're there for allegedly.

[Bulldog_916]

Couldnt have said it better myself man. I hope you guys follow California and exempt hookah bars and cigar bars. It's dumb to expect that people who WANT to work in an establishment that allows smoking should be protected from the very thing they are doing. Assanine.