Ohio Non-Smoking Ban
In November 2006, Issue 5 was passed by Ohio voters creating an indoor smoking ban. The new law went into effect December 7, 2006. The new law prohibits smoking in public places and places of employment (Ohio.gov, 2007). This ban changed the culture of public places and businesses in Ohio.
The ban was a big adjustment for businesses, employers, employees who smoke, and the person who normally smokes in a public place. Non-smokers could now benefit from not having to breathe second-hand smoke at restaurants, bars, work, the bowling alley, bingo, etc. Smokers had to adjust their life-style by not smoking in public places and having to exit their place of employment to smoke in the designated smoking area.
Many Ohio businesses were concerned about a drop in sales. The owner of a bar in Canton, Ohio said he lost $1000 in sales the first month the ban was in effect. (Free Republic, 2007). Because of the loss in sales, the owner decided to allow his customers to smoke and risk a fine. On May 3, 2007, local health departments began enforcing the ban with fines starting at $100 and increasing with each occurrence to $2,500 (Free Republic, 2007). Business owners started building specific smoking areas outside for their customers to accommodate the new law and their smoking customers. The state department’s hot line to report a smoking violation is 1-866-559-6446 (OHIO) (Free Republic, 2007).
Many non-smokers were happy about the new law and may have decided to go to bars, bowling or bingo more often than before the law was in effect. The law is especially helpful to families who may have stayed at home instead of going out to eat since many restaurants provided non-smoking areas but to get there, the family had to walk through the smoking section.
Most businesses and the public have adjusted to the smoking ban since it is a known fact that smoking is bad for your health. What non-smoker would want to come home from a public place smelling like a dirty ashtray?
References
Ohio.gov Ohio Department of Health (2007). Guidance on ohio’s new smoking ban. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from Ohio.gov Ohio Department of Health Web site: http://www.odh.ohio.gov/alerts/ohiosmokingban.aspxFree Republic (2007). Smoking ban leave some bar’s smoldering. Retrieved Jul 30, 2008, from Free Republic Web site: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1927679/posts
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1 comment:
I live in Indiana and no such law has taken place yet. I know it is up in the air, but so far, no ban. From what I hear, many businesses are taking actions in their own hands. I work next to a Subway and the smokers who work there are not even allowed to smoke on any part of their grounds. So, most of them walk onto my employments property to smoke.
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