Beginning May 1 Ohio smokers will no longer benefit by crossing the border to smoke in Michigan restaurants, owners of Michigan eateries say.

Next month all restaurants and work sites in Michigan must be smoke-free or face fines under an indoor smoking ban that goes into effect, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.

Since Ohio restaurants and bars went smoke-free in 2006, Buckeye residents living near the Michigan border have crossed into Michigan to smoke indoors.

Employees of Michigan’s border establishments are hoping Ohio patrons will continue to cross over even after the state’s smoking ban goes into effect.

Jessica Stafford, a bartender at M.T. Loonies in Temperance, says she left a bar in Ohio “after a couple Friday nights of not making that great money.”

Scott Rogowski, who worked at a Toledo restaurant when Ohio’s ban passed, said smokers were initially upset but eventually got used to it.

source: upi.com

Similar Posts:

• Campaign for Smokefree Air disappointed in House Bill 4377 exempting casinos and existing cigar bars
• Smoking ban foes urged to boycott lottery
• New Michigan smoking ban in workplaces, restaurants and bars gets mixed reaction from business owners
• Smoking ban affects most N.C. bars, restaurants
• Bill lets Michigan towns decide on restaurant smoking