[Vision2020] Smoking Ban-REALLY well coordinated!

[Wayne Price]

FROM KLEW Today:

MOSCOW - Latah County's top lawman says Moscow's decision to ban  
smoking in bars may spell more work for county law enforcement.

The Moscow City Council unanimously approved a smoking ban ordinance  
Monday night, outlawing smoking in bars and private clubs. But before  
the vote councilor Dan Carscallen had the most memorable quote of the  
night.
"Having a non-smoking part of a bar is like having a non-peeing part  
of a pool," said Carscallen.
But Latah County Sheriff Wayne Rausch said the council's decision will  
do more than get smoke out of city bars.
Rausch is looking at Carscallen's pool analogy in a different way.
"Expecting not to have cigarette smoke in a bar is like to going to a  
swimming pool and expecting not to get wet," said Rausch.
Rausch, who doesn't smoke, said people who do smoke in bars will  
continue to smoke. They'll just have to do it somewhere else.
"In the city here, we're within walking distance for many of the  
patrons, and now there's a good possibility of people getting into  
cars, and drive further so that they can smoke while they drink, which  
is what people do," said Rausch.
Though he said it's too early to tell if there will be a real problem,  
Rausch suspects travel to out-of-town bars will increase DUIs. He also  
said he appreciates the concern for the health of bar employees, but  
believes enough people want to smoke in bars that the city will take  
an economic hit.
"It concerns me that we are excluding a group of people now within  
this community from being able to go spend money and turn over revenue  
due to a decision like this," said Rausch.
Rausch said there have been discussions within the sheriff's office  
about the effect of the ban, and said it will take "increased  
vigilance" in the short term.

The ban is set to go into effect on August 4.
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