Post by Valgarent Deathbringer on Jun 15, 2006 23:55:32 GMT -5
A lawsuit was filed in federal court Thursday to try and stop a statewide smoking ban from taking effect July 1.
The Colorado Clean Indoor Act prohibits smoking at all indoor public places, including bars and restaurants.
However, casinos are exempt from the ban.
The filers of the lawsuit say that exemption goes against equal protection under 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The first part of the lawsuit is to get a preliminary injunction to delay the ban from starting.
Opponents believe the law will devastate business at many bars and casinos.
"It makes me angry," said James VonFeldt, a bar owner.
"It's the whole thing in a nutshell, you're slowly whittling away at my individual freedoms," he said. "It's not the smoking ban, it's my individual freedoms."
"We know from research that we've done that over 80 percent of Colorado residents don't smoke," said Erin Bertoli with the American Heart Association.
"The majority of them really look forward to going out to new restaurants and new bars and taking their families and experiencing new venues that have technically been closed to 80 percent of Colorado residents up until this point."
Opponents to the smoking ban hope to have a hearing on the injunction next week.
A similar effort to stop a smoking ban in New Jersey failed earlier this year. However, the attorney representing the business owners trying to stop Colorado's ban say they believe their lawsuit is sufficiently different and are optimistic it may succeed.
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I'm siding with the people trying to block the smoking ban... I don't smoke, but i'm ok with it. A. It's going to ruin many buisnesses cause many who go to Bars... I don't know... SMOKE! B. DON'T EXEMPT ANYONE! Damnit, if your putting a ban, you make sure everyone is part of it... Casinos can complain all they want but they don't deserve any right to be exmepted from this!
If your going to do a non-smoking law, make it fair to some. Almost every bar i've gone into, about 99% of the people smoke. So, 10% of colorado smokes, but your saying that those people should be forced to not go to places cause of that?! That really pisses me off, and most restraunts have a smoking/non-smoking section, and in some, they have a bar int eh middle dividing the two sides.(And the bar rarly has smokers) Casinos shouldn't have any right to be exmepted, that one should be the biggest change if they fail, and try to pass it again. More over, Why the fuck would you take your FAMILY into a damn bar?!?!?! It's a BAR! Beer, smoking... not a 'Family Friendly' atmostphere either. So, your going to take your family where your kid could piss off a fucking drunk dude, only to get his fucking ass beat. Sure the guy goes to jail, but the kid is injured... Yeah, smart people we have here don't you think?! Meh enough complaining... if you want to read more I"ll post the link here -
www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=d9d70eb8-0abe-421a-0082-ba08c700edec&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf (You have to copy and paste since the last part isn't turning into a hyperlink)
The Colorado Clean Indoor Act prohibits smoking at all indoor public places, including bars and restaurants.
However, casinos are exempt from the ban.
The filers of the lawsuit say that exemption goes against equal protection under 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The first part of the lawsuit is to get a preliminary injunction to delay the ban from starting.
Opponents believe the law will devastate business at many bars and casinos.
"It makes me angry," said James VonFeldt, a bar owner.
"It's the whole thing in a nutshell, you're slowly whittling away at my individual freedoms," he said. "It's not the smoking ban, it's my individual freedoms."
"We know from research that we've done that over 80 percent of Colorado residents don't smoke," said Erin Bertoli with the American Heart Association.
"The majority of them really look forward to going out to new restaurants and new bars and taking their families and experiencing new venues that have technically been closed to 80 percent of Colorado residents up until this point."
Opponents to the smoking ban hope to have a hearing on the injunction next week.
A similar effort to stop a smoking ban in New Jersey failed earlier this year. However, the attorney representing the business owners trying to stop Colorado's ban say they believe their lawsuit is sufficiently different and are optimistic it may succeed.
----------------------------
I'm siding with the people trying to block the smoking ban... I don't smoke, but i'm ok with it. A. It's going to ruin many buisnesses cause many who go to Bars... I don't know... SMOKE! B. DON'T EXEMPT ANYONE! Damnit, if your putting a ban, you make sure everyone is part of it... Casinos can complain all they want but they don't deserve any right to be exmepted from this!
If your going to do a non-smoking law, make it fair to some. Almost every bar i've gone into, about 99% of the people smoke. So, 10% of colorado smokes, but your saying that those people should be forced to not go to places cause of that?! That really pisses me off, and most restraunts have a smoking/non-smoking section, and in some, they have a bar int eh middle dividing the two sides.(And the bar rarly has smokers) Casinos shouldn't have any right to be exmepted, that one should be the biggest change if they fail, and try to pass it again. More over, Why the fuck would you take your FAMILY into a damn bar?!?!?! It's a BAR! Beer, smoking... not a 'Family Friendly' atmostphere either. So, your going to take your family where your kid could piss off a fucking drunk dude, only to get his fucking ass beat. Sure the guy goes to jail, but the kid is injured... Yeah, smart people we have here don't you think?! Meh enough complaining... if you want to read more I"ll post the link here -
www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=d9d70eb8-0abe-421a-0082-ba08c700edec&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf (You have to copy and paste since the last part isn't turning into a hyperlink)
