Did you know that there’s an exception to the smoking ban in restaurants and other nightspots in Minn.? The exception is for performers in theatrical productions.
So what have some Minn. bars done? They’re printing up playbills which encourage their customers to come to the bar in costume thus making them actors.
The customers are loving it. Dressed up, some speaking in accents or funny voices as they puff on their smokes.
The State health department isn’t too happy about these shenanigans.
The smoking ban, passed by the Legislature last year, allows actors to light up in character during theatrical performances as long as patrons are notified in advance.
About 30 bars in Minnesota have been exploiting the loophole by staging the faux theatre productions and pronouncing cigarettes props, according to an anti-smoking group.
The Health Department this week vowed to begin cracking down on theatre nights with fines of as much as $10,000.
Here in Chicago, many bars are ignoring the ban to keep their customers. Don’t these zealots understand that local bars are nearly “sacred cows” to local residents? The local cops consider it a “stupid nuisance” that they hope will go away as soon as possible. We have real crime to worry about. As the weather approaches, larger and larger groups are gathering outside the establishments, attracring “less than desirable” people who would normamally not be allowed to enter. (panhandlers, hookers, underage people) Including bars where no one under 21 is allowed is totally insane. These paid zealots badgering local lawmakers have absolutly no concern about local affairs. They move from state to state, like traveling “snake oil” salesmen.
How much is a decision like these smoking bans economic? The percentage of smokers is actually dropping, so it’s not necessarily real clear if a restaurant or bar will lose or gain business over the long term by a smoking ban (I realize the statewide ban doesn’t leave them a choice).
It will be interesting to see how this issue looks in a few years from now, as the percentage of smokers in the population is expected to continue to drop…. I suspect that smokers will continue to be edged out further and further.