Smoking Ban Could Be Headed Bowling Green's Way

Smoking a cigarette may be a personal choice, but soon it may not be a public choice.

Tuesday night the Bowling Green City Commission will go over a proposed public smoking ban, written by commissioner Brian 'Slim' Nash.
"The ordinance covers any indoor environment that serves the public so any work place would be covered," he said.

This doesn't sit too well with one local business owner who allows his employees and customers to smoke.

"I don't really agree with it every business owner has the right to specify if something should be you know smoke ban or not," Alan Felts said.

And those who enjoy a cigarette while eating a meal, aren't too joyful about it either.

"I think it's my right. If you don't want to be around smoking go to a place that doesn't allow it. You don't have to make every place that way," Robert Holland said.

Although one restaurant manager isn't too worried about business if the ban passes.

"We are actually the only store in our company that you can smoke in the other restaurants had the same consensus they took the initial hit but it was short term and in the long run restaurants rebound," Toot's General Manager Scott Collins said.

Commissioner Nash hopes smokers realize this isn't an attack on them.

"I hope that this ordinance accomplishes is that people recognize it's not an attempt to extinguish smoking. It's an attempt to regulate where smoking occurs," he said.

The proposal will go through it's first round of voting tomorrow night and if passed it will then need to be voted on again.

It needs three votes to pass.

It isn't sure when the ordinance would go into effect, but that is one of the components to be discussed.