Turah bar defies smoking ban

[The Northerner]

MISSOULA — The owner of a bar in Turah says she's had to resort to breaking the law to keep her business afloat.

Peggy Bjornberg says business declined 70 percent in the first three weeks after she implemented the smoking ban required when the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act took effect for bars last Oct. 1. She decided she'd have to allow smoking and pay the fines to stay in business.

Erica Rollins heads Tobacco Free Missoula County. She says Bjornberg's Turah Pines Bar is the only bar in the county blatantly disregarding the law. As of Tuesday, Turah Pines faced $1,300 in fines and Rollins was preparing documentation to turn over to the county attorney's office.

Health officials hope public pressure will help bring the Turah bar in line.

Source: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_53db5d82-1be5-11df-946e-001cc4c002e0.html

[panader0]

1. The owner should call the bar a private club

charge .25 cents for each nights dues and then allow smoking. No law broken. No non-smokers insulted or abused.
The ban on smoking has hurt bar business everywhere. I am a musician, and the anti-smoking laws have allowed fewer bars to host live music. As someone who has been in a few bars, I have observed that 80 or 90 percent of patrons (in the old days)were smokers, and the others didn't care.

[customerserviceguy]

2. I wonder if that's an option under the law

In Utah, they call bars 'private clubs' and charge dues, just so you can have a cold one in the company of others.

[Warpy]

3. That's a lie, actually, business isn't down everywhere.

Bar business was only down for a couple of weeks here and then it went up as people who were unable to go to a place full of black clouds of smoke were able to get out for an evening, enjoy a band, and kick back. Our ban was done some years ago, though, before the economy went sour.

My guess her business is down more due to the economy and she's just throwing a hissy fit.

[Taverner]

4. I don't smoke anymore - but I find these anti-smoking laws to be foolish and authoritarian

Especially when you have laws (like Los Gatos, CA) where even smoking outside is banned.

I know the Nanny Staters here will all be a flutter with "you don't have the right to pollute my lungs!" and whatnot but this whole argument has gone into Bergeron Harrison territory.

There needs to be a comprimise. Perhaps designated smoking places (that happen to serve drinks) with a big sign warning folks there will be smoking in said place.

Don't get me wrong - I love how here in CA you can go from bar to bar without having the room filled with smoke. Traveling outside of CA made me appreciate it even more.

However there is a point when enough is enough - and this argument has long since crossed that line.

[Kievan Rus]

5. I can't stand Nanny Staters either. If they don't like places that don't allow smoking...

then don't visit them.

[The Northerner]

7. +1

[The Straight Story]

8. There are those on the left who want to control the lives of others like the rw does

"for the kids" or "for the money we could save" or for whatever reason.

I tend to stand on a simple premise - freedom. Your body, your choice, and when others start telling you how to live and what to do they are wrong. Period.

Either you are for freedom of choice or you are not.

[MindPilot]

9. I agree, and the ironic outcome is that the smokers end up on the sidewalk outside

So now people who don't go into the bar have to pass by or even through a group of smokers.

[Taverner]

10. That was the logic behind the Los Gatos ordinance

So now you have to do it in secret, like shooting Heroin.

[The Straight Story]

6. Your body, your choice. If you want to go to a bar that allows smoking, why shouldn't

you be allowed that right?

[Ozymanithrax]

11. Your body, but no choice.

Until there was a smoking ban, you you wanted to go to a bar you breathed in other people's smoke. We let Bush and Cheney make signing statements about laws they don't want to follow this is where it goes. Every bartender thinks he or she is the Vice President. Put her out of bussiness. Someone else will take up the slack.

[The Straight Story]

12. There is a choice - this is not a grocery store or a hospital

Places people need to go. This is about a place people want to go - bars.

I don't go to bars, I have been to a few in my life to be sure, but it was always my choice on which ones to go to. Years ago Wendy's banned smoking inside their restaurants, I was fine with that being their choice.

Choice being the key word here. I am for it, if you are against it just say so.

[The Northerner]

15. I couldn't agree more

[Ozymanithrax]

17. But you are wrong about choice.

When smoking is allowed in Restaurants and bars, everybody that goes there must smoke the same ciagrette. It is not possible to stop the smoke. It only takes one. Since second hand smoke can be deadly, people who choose not to smoke have a right to expect a smoke free atmosphere. You have the right to smoke. You just don't have the right to make everybody else smoke with you.

[MindPilot]

13. "Put her out of business."

How very progressive.

[Kievan Rus]

14. I agree 100%

I always find it odd when a progressive will say "your body, your choice" when it comes to reproductive issues, but not when it comes to stuff like smoking.

[Nye Bevan]

16. Because the bar is forcing its employees to inhale unpleasant and toxic fumes.

At which point the pro-smoking brigade usually responds "oh, they can just get another job" (SO easy in this economy!) or "the bar should just hire smokers" (forcing non-smokers who are desperate for jobs to lie and pretend to be smokers).

Pro-labor concern for employees tends to suddenly go out of the window here when this issue is being discussed.

[The Straight Story]

18. And getting any job that requires you drive to it is spewing fumes into the air and adding to global

warming - which hurts everyone.

And yes, you do have choice when it comes to where you work - if you didn't it would be slavery.

We are not talking huge employers here, mom and pop bars. But hey, if you like controlling the choices others make just say so.