As I mentioned previously, we need to keep a very close eye on the Outdoor Smoking Ban proposal going on in New York City.  The fear I have is if this is passed, many other municipalities will follow suit.  In fact, this has already been happening in several plans – like Asheville, NC and Great Neck, NY.   But at the same point, we must keep a close eye on some of the larger markets and right now a battle is brewing in Raleigh NC about a proposed outdoor smoking ban.

The article below outlines things well.  One thing it mentions is that when North Carolina passed the statewide smoking ban in bars and restaurants, it gave a green light for local municipalities to override this and make it more restrictive.  This is an example of what Asheville already did and what Raleigh’s Outdoor proposal is doing.

The good news is, I’ve seen some facebook posts from Cigar Rights of America Executive Director, Glynn Loope.  Last week Loope posted, the Raleigh City Council is “slowing down” on this vote to analyze this further and mentioned that Councilman John Odom said he would vote against it.  However, Armageddon is Tuesday 1/18 so not sure why this did move quickly.   My feeling is that there will bea battle, but fear a compromise could still hurt tobacco enthusiasts.

Classic case – give an inch to the Pleasure Police and they come back demanding more.   Case in point, smoking ban passed in bars and restaurants and now they want outdoor bans….

I must share an additional story about the city of Raleigh and my personal experience.  About 3 months ago, I walked into Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Raleigh to meet a friend for drinks.   In the restaurant they had a small humidor with cigars in it.   I inquired about getting a couple of cigars.   I then asked, “where was the area to smoke them?”   The reply given back was that “there is no area inside or outside to smoke them”.   At that point, I declined the purchase of the cigars.   The manager was on duty at the time and told me, “it’s not his fault as that’s the law”.  I proceeded to tell him that he needs to put pressure on his local politicians to get some of this nonsense overturned if he wishes for someone like me to want to purchase a cigar.  I for one am not going to buy a cigar that I cannot enjoy in the establishment.

Anyway – just my two cents.   Check out the Outdoor Smoking Ban Proposal in Raleigh by clicking here.

Fight for your rights and stop this nonsense!