Butt out. That, essentially, is the message smokers will hear when a statewide smoking ban takes effect May 1.
The ban, singed into law Dec. 18, 2009 by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, makes it illegal to light up in restaurants, bars, theaters or any other public place’with the exception of cigar bars, tobacco specialty stores and casino gaming floors.
Around the Orion area, reactions were mixed as smokers prepare for a last public puff.
Cheryl Millenbach, general manager at Applebee’s of Lake Orion, said she didn’t anticipate much of a problem.
Since most patrons are nonsmokers, she said, and the restaurant offers only a small area where smoking is currently allowed’three tables and the bar.
‘And we still get a lot of complaints, because the smoking area is not closed off,? Millenbach said. ‘If we seat a family in one of the big booths around the bar and people nearby light up, the family will say ‘Hey, how do you call this nonsmoking?? They get really angry with us.?
With passage of the new law’the state Senate approved the bill 24-13, followed by a 75-30 House vote’Michigan joins 36 other states with laws against smoking; some states have similar statewide bans while others opted for partial anti-smoking laws.
But while public health benefits seem obvious, the effect on local business remains to be seen.
‘In my travels to other places that already had a ban enacted, they said yes, business from smokers drops off for a little while, but they get used to it, and they come back,? Millenbach said. ‘It will be a positive for our nonsmoking guests, because they feel intruded upon.?
Greg Mitchell, manager at Christi’s Bar and Grill on Clarkston Road had a similar opinion.
‘I don’t think it’ll be a bad thing,? he said. ‘A lot of people say ‘We’re not coming, we’re not coming,? he said. ‘But I say, ‘Hey, where else are you going to go??
Besides, he noted, the ban could attract new customers.
‘For every smoker we might loose, we might gain another one who didn’t come in before because of the smoke,? Mitchell said.
But unlike Applebee’s, the majority Christi’s patrons are smokers, he added.
‘Personally, I don’t agree with the law, and I’m a non smoker,? Mitchell said. ‘It’s taking peoples rights away. If I go into a bar and somebody’s smoking, it’s my choice to go sit next to that person or not.?
Keith Aldridge, who manages his family’s business at both Canterbury Castle, where the Clansman Pub is located, and Indianwood Golf and Country Club, said even as a nonsmoker’and one who doesn’t like his children around secondhand smoke’he’s not in favor of the law.
‘I really think it should be up to the local bar owner,? he said. ?(The law) is against the American way, and I don’t think its right for the state to say ‘You’re not allowed to have smoking here.? It’s my establishment; if I want to have smoking, the nonsmokers can go to another establishment and vice versa.?
At Indianwood, he said, members have been vocal about their displeasure.
‘It’s a private country club,? he said. ‘We have a lot of cigar smokers and guys pay a lot of money to be in that particular atmosphere; it’s their club and now they’re told they can’t smoke cigars. It’s a problem.?
Problem or not, Aldridge is faced with the same task as others in his shoes.
The law, in part, states ‘the person who owns, operates, manages, or is in control of a public place shall make a reasonable effort to prohibit individuals from smoking in a public place.?
Those caught violating the smoking ban, it says, will find the local health department on the doorstep within five days, and both restaurant and smoker could face fines up to $100 for a first offense and $500 for subsequent violations.
At CJ’s, Joan Slomczenski said the new law is probably a good thing.
‘We have a smoke eater to purify the air,? she said. ‘But when a lot of people start smoking, we get complaints from the nonsmokers.?
Most who patronize the Sandbar are about 50 percent smokers, 50 percent not, she noted, while most who dine in the adjoining restaurant are not.
‘It’ll probably be good once people get used to it,? she said.