By: Christian and Jessica Hutson
Owners, Just For Men

Mayor Jim O’Neal plans to introduce an ordinance later this month, and he expects it to pass. Springfield-Greene County Health Director Kevin Gipson says all businesses would be smoke free this time around.

The current smoking ban has numerous exemptions including retail stores (including Just For Him) and bars. Sixty-one exempt Bars are currently classified by the percentage of alcohol served. The proposed amendment would remove all of these exemptions by disallowing smoking at any place of business.

As citizens and business owners, this ban obviously concerns us on a personal and business level. Professionally, we would no longer be able to sample new cigars as they enter the store or create new pipe tobacco blends in our store. As a business, we currently have frequent events (many in support of local charities) that include smoking. We exist largely because local business people can come in before or after work and relax while enjoying a pipe or cigar while talking with friends. For some of our customers, important business decisions and contacts are made in our store.

Personally, we believe that intelligent, responsible, legal adults should be able to make their own decisions about where they spend their time and money. All of this would be in jeopardy if this ban goes through. This would also affect many of our favorite local businesses such as the cigar bar above Bijan’s, The Red Room in Flame, Skybox Grill & Lounge, Fox & Hound and The Albatross Hookah Lounge.

Springfield currently supports choice in businesses. For example, Nathan P. Murphy’s is a local, smoke free bar. Most retail stores carry no smoking signs on their door. Removing this choice second guesses both the business owner and consumer.

A public hearing on this proposal will take place at the June 28th city council meeting and a vote could occur as soon as July 12th. If you are a Springfield resident we strongly suggest contacting your city council person and attending the June 28th council meeting.

Please Contact Mayor Jim O’Neal And Springfield’s City Council Members

CRA is urging members in Missouri and across the CRA Mid-America Alliance to take action by contacting Mayor Jim O’Neal and the members of Springfield’s City Council to express your opposition to this expanded smoking ban policy.

Remember to tell them that “enjoying a cigar is not a crime!”

Mayor Jim O’Neal
Email: Mayor Jim O’Neal
Telephone: 417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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Zone 1 – Nick Ibarra
Email: Nick Ibarra
Telephone: 417.864.5007
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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Zone 2 – Cindy Rushefsky
Email: Cindy Rushefsky
Telephone: 417.862.9614
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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Zone 3 – Jerry Compton
Email: Jerry Compton
Telephone: 417.831.0187
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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Zone 4 – Scott Bailes
Email: Scott Bailes
Telephone:417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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General A – Bob Stephens
Email: Bob Stephens
Telephone: 417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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General B – John Rush
Email: John Rush
Telephone:417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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General C – Doug Burlison
Email: Doug Burlison
Telephone: 417.865.7175
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

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General D, Mayor Pro Tem – Dan Chiles
Email: Dan Chiles
Telephone: 417.864.1651
Fax: 417.864.1649
Postal Address:
Busch Municipal Building
Fourth Floor
840 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802

Documentation

News Articles:

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/96060229.html

http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=280155

Existing 2003 Ordinance (with exemptions):

http://www.springfieldmo.gov/clerk/ordinances/ORD5260.pdf

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Politics Enters FDA Tobacco Regulatory Advisory Panel   Once again, the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is under watchdog scrutiny, this time by the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. This is as the FDA panel met this week to address “harmful constituents in tobacco products.”Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington joins the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness, which recently called for greater public transparency in the regulatory development process from the FDA Center for Tobacco Products and the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee.We want all CRA members to please keep in mind that it is this advisory panel which will be intricate in the development of any new regulation of cigars, and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products has gone on record that this is on their agenda.In fact, there may be a public comment period as early as this summer, for which we will need all Cigar Voters to contact FDA, as well as their members of Congress – depending upon what regulations the agency submits that impact our simple ability to enjoy a cigar.The New York Times article below highlights the internal politics of the tobacco advisory panel, how some in Big Tobacco are involved in these deliberations, and why cigar enthusiasts need to closely monitor and act on the work of this panel, and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, as a whole. This is one issue where the bureaucracy cannot be allowed to win. J. Glynn Loope, Executive Director Cigar Rights of America

Group Objects to 2 Members of Tobacco Safety Panel   BREAKING NEWS By DUFF WILSON Published: June 7, 2010 New York Times An ethics watchdog group filed a challenge on Monday against two members of a new federal advisory committee for tobacco product safety, saying they should be disqualified because they are consultants for drug companies that make smoking cessation products.“Everybody hates the tobacco companies, but favoring the drug companies can’t be the answer,” Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in an interview after filing the complaint with the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services. She said the two panelists’ ties to smoking cessation businesses would undermine public confidence in regulation of the tobacco industry, which came under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration with the federal tobacco law passed last year. The same two panelists were the targets of a challenge in March by the Altria Group, owner of Philip Morris, the nation’s largest tobacco company. The F.D.A. rejected Altria’s complaint, saying it had selected qualified members and would manage any potential conflicts case by case as it did on other federal advisory committees. “Tobacco cessation drugs are not regulated by the Center for Tobacco Products,” Meghan Scott, an F.D.A. spokeswoman, said Monday. The new complaint came as a subcommittee of the panel, the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, prepares to meet Tuesday and Wednesday to list the harmful constituents in tobacco products. In July, the full committee plans to consider whether the F.D.A. should regulate or perhaps even ban menthol in cigarettes. The committee also plans to discuss how and whether the F.D.A. should regulate smokeless tobacco products that dissolve in the mouth. The composition of F.D.A. advisory panels is often a testy issue for companies and activists alike. Because the tobacco center is a new part of the F.D.A., its membership has been under particularly close scrutiny. One of the panelists, Dr. Neal L. Benowitz, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, is a drug industry consultant on treatments to help people stop smoking. “I really don’t see any conflict,” Dr. Benowitz said Monday. “My involvement with pharmaceutical companies is aimed at reducing the risk of smoking, quitting smoking. The aim of the committee is also to reduce the adverse health consequences of tobacco use.” Dr. Benowitz was a senior scientific editor of the 1988 surgeon general’s report on nicotine addiction. He consults for Pfizer, makers of Chantix, a prescription pill that aims at nicotine receptors in the brain. The other panel member challenged by the watchdog group, Jack E. Henningfield, is an addiction expert who holds a share of a patent in a nicotine gum product under development. He did not return messages seeking comment on Monday. Mr. Henningfield is a vice president at Pinney Associates, a Bethesda, Md., consulting firm for drug companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, makers of nicotine gum, lozenges and patches. He has also worked at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Benowitz and Mr. Henningfield have both testified against tobacco companies in many trials, including a racketeering lawsuit brought by the Justice Department. In March, Altria sent a 16-page letter of complaint asking the tobacco center to withdraw the appointments of four of the nine voting members of the scientific advisory panel, saying they had “irreconcilable biases.” Altria said Dr. Benowitz and Mr. Henningfield were each currently listed as expert witnesses in more than 100 cases against tobacco makers. Ms. Sloan of the ethics group said the F.D.A. reply to Altria was “incredibly dismissive.” She attached the Altria letter and F.D.A. reply to her own complaint. “We just thought the financial conflicts were clear,” said Ms. Sloan, a former assistant United States attorney in the District of Columbia. “The F.D.A. has not explained how these are unavoidable conflicts.” The tobacco law requires that voting members of the advisory panel have no financial ties with tobacco makers. The tobacco industry is represented by three nonvoting members — itself a source of controversy with some antitobacco activists, who say the industry should have no seat at the table. At least one antitobacco advocate said he thought the challenge by Ms. Sloan’s group was off base. “They do a lot of good work, but they absolutely got this one wrong,” Stanton A. Glantz, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, said Monday. “At one level, it’s true the pharmaceutical companies are competing with the tobacco companies. But this is not Coke versus Pepsi,” Professor Glantz said. “The tobacco companies are promoting products that kill half a million people a year. The pharmaceutical companies are trying to promote health.” Professor Glantz added: “Those are two of the world’s experts, and we need to have people in there who are not going to get snookered by the industry, falling for a bunch of phony pseudoscience. To deny the F.D.A. that expertise would be terrible.”

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From foxnews.com

New York City anti-smoking signs depicting a decaying tooth, diseased lungs and a damaged brain violate cigarette vendors’ free speech and should be removed, tobacco companies and retailers said in a lawsuit.

Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Tobacco Company, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., plus two major retail trade groups and two convenience stores, alleged in the Manhattan federal court lawsuit that the signs violate the sellers’ rights by imposing the signs on them.

“The government may not force private parties to carry messages beyond purely uncontroversial factual statements that are designed to prevent consumer deception,” said the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday and made available to reporters on Thursday.

The three different signs, developed by the city’s Health Department and required as of last December, graphically depict the harmful effects smoking can have on the body. They bear messages such as “smoking causes tooth decay” and list the number of a city helpline for assistance on how to quit.

“The signs … do not describe the risks of smoking in purely factual terms. Instead, the signs force tobacco manufacturers and retailers to communicate vivid images at the point of sale,” the suit said.

New York cigarette sellers face a $2,000 fine if they fail to display at least one warning sign at the cash register or next to the cigarettes. No other U.S. city has adopted similar measures, city Health Department officials said.

City agencies, however, said the anti-smoking campaign was necessary and Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made a smoke-free New York one of his major priorities, having banned smoking in bars and restaurants.

“We are confident that the health code provisions being challenged will withstand legal scrutiny,” said New York City Law Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Thomas.

“By trying to suppress this educational campaign, the tobacco industry is signaling its desire to keep kids in the dark,” a statement by the city’s Health Department said.

The lawsuit also alleged federal anti-smoking rules prevent local governments from interfering with cigarette advertising.

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from cigarweekly.com

Kingston, NY – After nearly 14 years in Kingston, Uptown Cigar Company today announced that it will relocate to Florida and close its retail store effective June 30th. Uptown Cigar Company was opened as a neighborhood, family owned and operated cigar store and has grown into one of the cigar community’s premiere retail and online destination sites for quality tobacco products and superior service.

Owner Michelle Tuchman announced the relocation with regret. “I am a New York resident and have been privileged to serve customers both from within the State and across the world through our online presence. However, the rising cost of doing business here in New York no longer allows me to offer my customers a competitive experience and we are forced to move our thriving business to Florida where the accumulated taxes and fees are reasonable.”

When Uptown Cigar Company was founded, New York State’s excise tax on tobacco products was at 20%. Over the years, the industry in New York saw the tax increased first to 37% and then to 46% — far outpacing the tax rates in other states. This year’s Executive Budget advanced by Governor Paterson proposes to increase the already uncompetitive excise tax to 90%. It is expected that the Legislature will approve this tax increase as part of a final budget deal.

“When I close my store, regrettably I will be forced to lay off 2 full time and 1 part time employees and leave yet another vacant retail space in Kingston,” said Tuchman. “This is, however, the only way I can continue to serve my clients with an even better selection and better prices. Sadly, I think Uptown Cigar Company may be the first tangible casualty of the State’s unending appetite for tax and fee increases.”

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from www.nacsonline.com

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Mike Prendergast For U.S. Congress   Last week, Cigar Rights of America announced Smoke the Vote 2010 . Through this national grassroots movement, it’s time for the cigar enthusiasts of America to let their voices be heard, and engage in the political process as never before. We need for both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC and for 37 state capitols through critical races for Governor, to hear from those of us who simply want to enjoy a cigar without burdensome regulation and taxation. You would think that would be a simple message. Obviously not.With the looming threat of new federal regulation of cigars by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the ever present notion of federal taxation, control of Congress is a serious matter in 2010. In our first Smoke the Vote message of 2010, we go to the heart of Cigar Country – Tampa, Florida.With a rich history for cigar makers and enthusiasts alike, Tampa, Florida is a national treasure for the cigar industry. This is why there needs to be a strong voice in Congress for our interests from Tampa. That voice is Colonel Mike Prendergast.Colonel Prendergast first came to our attention at the Florida Cigar Summit, held earlier this year at the historic J.C. Newman Cigar factory in Tampa. He came, he listened. He got it. He saw hundreds of jobs associated with the Tampa cigar industry, and he heard of the adverse impact government taxation and regulation can have for this staple of the community.In a recent note, Colonel Prendergast stated, “As a Cigar Rights supporter, a native of Cigar City, and the grandson of a cigar tobacco grower, I would appreciate support for my race as the next Congressman for Florida’s 11th Congressional District.”

Spotlight

He is running against Congresswoman Kathy Castor. Congresswoman Castor voted for the new SCHIP cigar taxes, and she voted for FDA regulation of tobacco, which is now aiming for cigars.Bobby Newman, Executive Vice President of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company stated, “Mike Prendergast is the type of leader Tampa, and frankly America, needs in the United States Congress. He understands this district, he connects with the people, he listens, and he knows the proper role of government. Further, he realizes that hundreds of jobs in Tampa rely upon many issues confronting the next Congress. His service to our nation is unquestioned, and that same leadership ability will serve him, and this community, well as a member of Congress.”More about the campaign of Colonel Mike Prendergast can be found at http://www.pickprendergast.com.Here is a bit about Mike, personally:Colonel Prendergast is a native of Tampa and a graduate of Clearwater Central Catholic High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1978 and earned a commission through Officer Candidate School. With more than 31 years of service, he retired in 2009 as U.S. Central Command’s Provost Marshal, a military position similar to a civilian Commissioner of Public Safety and International Chief of Police. Colonel Prendergast served with distinction in various important command and staff assignments throughout the United States and abroad, to include combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and humanitarian missions in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Cameroon, and Zaire. Colonel Prendergast also served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Defense, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Bob Graham. Mike Prendergast has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Special Honors and a dual major in Political Science and Sociology from Jacksonville State University; a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Psychology from the University of New York; a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Campbell University; a Master of Arts degree with a major in International Relations and a Certificate in African Studies from the University of Florida; a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Public Management from Troy State University; and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College with a major in Public Diplomacy and a concentration in Campaign and Strategic Crisis Planning. Colonel Prendergast and his wife Naomi returned to Florida in 2008 in preparation for his transition from active duty and in anticipation of him serving the Tampa Bay area where his leadership skills can do the most good for his hometown. The Prendergasts have two children and three grandchildren. Their daughter, Melissa Ann, lives in Savannah with her husband Caleb (a “Nightstalker” with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment presently deployed to Afghanistan) and son Dylan. Their son, Robert Anthony (a Fort Stewart Military Police Soldier presently deployed to Afghanistan), lives in Hinesville with his wife Elisabeth, son Robert Jr. and daughter Charlee Sue. It’s obvious, Cigar Nation can benefit from Mike Prendergast as a member of the United States Congress.

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By J. Glynn Loope, CRA Executive Director 2010 can mark a special moment in history for those that share the passion of a great cigar. It has to.As we reflect on the hits and slaps we took from 2007 to 2009, it’s our moment to begin a fight back for freedom, defense of property rights, warding off local, state and federal government regulation, ordinances that dictate where we can enjoy a cigar (where we would otherwise be welcome) and an effort to defeat onerous taxation that only results in further economic harm upon our communities. Now, is our time.So, Cigar Rights of America launches Smoke the Vote 2010. This will be the first national effort to truly impact elections on November 2, 2010, from the cigar enthusiast perspective. It’s a process. We may not change every seat we wish, but it starts – now.On November 2, every member of the U.S. House of Representatives and 36 members of the U.S. Senate are up for election. In addition, critical races for Governor are being held in 37 states, including major races in states such as Arizona, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan. How are we going to do this? Through the launch of the Smoke the Vote Grassroots Network. It’s quick, easy, and free! All we need is the basic contact information for every passionate cigar enthusiast in America – and together we can change some elections. From 25,000 to 50,000, and off to 100,000 and more, we can begin the process of rolling back taxation, smoking ban regulations, appeal for amendments to existing law, and send a message that spans from Main Street USA, to each end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Starting today and working our way to the fall elections, we’ll keep you posted on critical races throughout the nation, focusing upon the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and the Governor’s Office in each state. We’ll let you know about their records, suggest those that would most benefit this passion for cigars we share. We’ll let you know about voter registration, state and federal issue updates, and how we’re growing this base of Cigar Voters. In addition, you can follow races on your own through the University of Virginia ‘s Center for Politics (which is rarely wrong in its election predictions) by using this link: http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalballSimply pass along the link to the Smoke the Vote 2010 Grassroots Network to all of your friends, family, co-workers, cigar club members, neighbors and others that love a great cigar, who are tired of government intrusion.The issues are significant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is determined to bring cigars under their domain, potentially ripping the culture and soul from this industry. Local, state and federal efforts to further tax this legal product upon which thousands of jobs are dependent will not cease. And while they’re taxing, they want to ban – the ultimate oxymoron in the political process.The time is right. For the last twelve months, we have all been working to build the needed infrastructure to get to this moment. Now, CRA has members in all 50 states, we have CRA member tobacconists in 47 states, and membership is up 98% from this time last year. We need to build upon that success, learn from other interest groups that also exert their political muscle, and work to build new coalitions with other like-minded groups and allies.We’ve all heard stories of the close election. George W. Bush beat Al Gore in Florida by 537 votes [which allowed President Bush to twice veto SCHIP taxes]. In 1974, John Durkin won a US Senate seat in New Hampshire by two votes. A 2008 election to Congress in Alaska was decided by one vote, and a 2007 state senate primary in Virginia was decided by 75 votes, when a local cigar shop owner rallied its customers to beat the advocate of a smoking ban. It is time to change the cigar political calculus in America . With the ranks of CRA growing throughout the country, we are entering a pivotal time in protecting one of the great pleasures of life – a fine cigar. Let’s work together to build the Smoke the Vote 2010 Grassroots Network.

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Effective January 1, 2010, the use of tobacco products (including: cigars, pipes, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, and hookahs) on all county owned and leased land was outlawed through an order signed by Orange County’s Mayor Richard T. Crotty as he and a coalition of anti-tobacco supporters work to make the entire county tobacco-free. This OUTDOOR ban comes on the heels of Florida’s statewide existing indoor smoking ban which is already in affect. Several major cities, including Orlando, reside in Orange County and the local economy heavily relies on tourism. The ordinance now outlaws the use of any tobacco product in areas such as outdoors at the Orange County Convention Center, County parks, fishing docks, boat ramps, outdoor trails, county owned parking lots, streets and sidewalks. Additionally, in order to maintain employment, County employees are required to sign an affidavit which states that any employee who enjoys more than four cigars per year they will be fined $650 each year they violate the tobacco policy. On March 19, 2010, Mayor Crotty’s anti-tobacco campaign received a boost when he allocated $6.6 million in federal stimulus funds (supposed to be used to create jobs) to the Orange County Health Department to prevent tobacco usage. View The Ordinance (PDF)

Please Contact These Orange County Lawmakers: CRA is urging members in Florida and across the country to take action by contacting Mayor Richard T. Crotty and the county commissioners to express your opposition to this tobacco policy and your support of seeing the ordinance reversed. Remember to tell these lawmakers that “enjoying a cigar is not a crime!” Email: Mayor Crotty Telephone: Fax: 407-836-7360 Postal Address: County Mayor Richard Crotty 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: Commissioner Boyd Telephone: 407-836-7350 Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Commissioner S. Scott Boyd 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: Commissioner Brummer Telephone: 407-836-7350 Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Commissioner Fred Brummer 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: Commissioner Stewart Telephone: 407-836-7350 Fax: 407-836-5935 Postal Address: Commissioner Linda Stewart 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: District5@ocfl.net Telephone: 407-836-7350 Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Commissioner Bill Segal 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: Commissioner Moore Russell Telephone: 407-836-7350 Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Commissioner Tiffany Moore Russell 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801

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Just moments ago the Louisiana House Health & Welfare Committee convincingly killed (on a 9 to 3 vote) Senate Bill 348. This essentially settles and defeats virtually every smoking ban measure proposed in Louisiana this year. Although Senate Bill 334, which would ban smoking in bars only, still sits on the senate floor, we can safely say it is on “life support”.

This now becomes the second victory in less than one year after House Bill 844 was defeated in June 2009.

This victory came from the efforts of many individuals, businesses, and organizations. On March 26, CRA launched a nationwide communication campaign and called its members to action. Many letters and phone calls were made and CRA would like to thank each member for their efforts.

Additionally, CRA would like to thank the Louisiana Association of Beverage Alcohol Licensees for their partnership and support in defeating these bills. CRA would also like to thank its partners at the Louisiana Amusement Music Operators Association and the Louisiana Gaming Association.

It is this type of coalition building that has enabled a successful victory like this…and more in the future!

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There is something truly unique about Louisiana . Across that great southern state, there is a culture, history and sense of independence like few others. Naturally, images of Bourbon Street in New Orleans come to mind, and now the home of a championship football team. But from Baton Rouge to Shreveport , from Lafayette to Lake Charles , each community has its own unique character.

Of course we also know of the challenges confronting the great State of Louisiana . An encroaching blanket of oil threatens the seafood industry, the ongoing effort to rebuild from hurricane Katrina, and a prevalent state of economic need, where jobs and investment are needed now, more than ever.

So based upon that state of affairs, why would any legislature consider actions that would further harm the state economy, and that of her local communities? That’s what will happen if Louisiana adopts a statewide smoking ban statute.

Cigar Rights of America has proudly joined a state coalition in opposition to any smoking ban in Louisiana that includes the Louisiana Association of Beverage Alcohol Licensees, the Louisiana Amusement Music Operators Association, and the Louisiana Gaming Association.

These groups know well what economic harm can impact the state if such a measure is allowed to pass. Sources such as the US Federal Reserve Bank have objectively documented studies on the negative impact of smoking bans on gaming receipts. Adverse economic impact on bar and entertainment venues as a result of smoking bans are beyond debate, much less in a place like New Orleans so dependent on people just trying to have a good time from points around the world.

Let’s send a national message to the Louisiana legislature. Tell them to VOTE NO on any smoking ban legislation.

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