Virginia smoking ban dec. 1 !!!!!!!!

[Slickstick]

Gov. signs smoking ban in Marlboro country

Bill applies to restaurants, bars in Virginia; takes effect Dec. 1


This is old news... But Dec. 1st is right around the corner !! I wonder how this will effect sales of PV's?



VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The home state of Marlboro cigarettes and the world's largest cigarette factory is banning most smoking in restaurants and bars.Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine signed a bill Monday that generally restricts smoking to separate rooms that have their own ventilation. It takes effect Dec. 1.
Twenty-three of 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., have banned smoking in most public places, including bars and restaurants. Other states debating smoking bans this year include neighboring tobacco state North Carolina, along with Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Governor signs smoking ban in Va. - Life- msnbc.com

[rkh3]

That is a good thing, who wants to smell smoke while your eating? Easier for towns/cities as well, now each is covered by the same regs. I was on a BOH in MA for years. You wouldn't believe the hassle from bars, etc we got passing a ban in my town, you'll scare customers away to other towns, etc. The State finally passed a ban making it a level playing field.

[jj2]

Compared to Illinois this is lenient. Here it's outside only, and they are chipping away at that one too.

[jennlsnoopy]

Smoking is banned indoors here. Have to be 20 feet from windows and doors too.

[oldlady]

As a native Virginian, I am embarrassed. One would have thought the Old Dominion could have held out longer. Oh well, at least smokers can still have their own rooms.

[Slickstick]

But we can still vape inside bars when the Virginia cigarette ban takes place on Dec 1st correct? I have seen statements on E-cig merchant websites that say vaping is legal anywhere there is a no smoking sign. Since I work in a karaoke bar I am very curious if the Virginia ban includes personal vaporizers.

[ACM]

In New York City, several years ago, they did the same thing: Smoking was permitted only in separate rooms with special ventilation systems. The systems worked well - you could go in those rooms and smoke, and none of the smoke seemed to leak out to bother the non-smokers in the rest of the bar. But that only lasted a couple of years before the ban was extended to include ALL space within a bar.

The problem was that bar owners spent many thousand of dollars building special smoking rooms and installing special, expensive ventilation systems, only to have them rendered useless a couple of years later. I'll bet that the same thing will happen in Virginia.

Now, in New York, you can only smoke in specially designated "cigar bars", of which there are few.

[Vocalek]

But we can still vape inside bars when the Virginia cigarette ban takes place on Dec 1st correct? I have seen statements on E-cig merchant websites that say vaping is legal anywhere there is a no smoking sign. Since I work in a karaoke bar I am very curious if the Virginia ban includes personal vaporizers.

Suggestion: Go to the bar manager, demonstrate your unit and see if he or she will allow it. The law doesn't disallow it. According to the letter of the law, the ban covers cigarettes that contain tobacco.

This is from an earlier thread on the topic.
Virginia Smoking Ban includes E-cigs per Dept of Health

The Virginia Code defines "cigarette" in about three different places and these definitions are identical. Interestingly enough, the statutory scheme banning smoking in many indoor places does not define "cigarette" even though § 58.1-1000 which is the definition section of the smoking ban defines "smoke" or "smoking" as "the carrying or holding of any lighted pipe, cigar, or cigarette of any kind, or any other lighted smoking equipment, or the lighting, inhaling, or exhaling of smoke from a pipe, cigar, or cigarette of any kind."

One of those three identical definitions of smoking is § 58.1-1031 which states "'Cigarette' means any product that contains nicotine, is intended to be burned or heated under ordinary conditions of use, and consists of or contains (i) any roll of tobacco wrapped in paper or in any substance not containing tobacco; (ii) tobacco, in any form, that is functional in the product, which, because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette; or (iii) any roll of tobacco wrapped in any substance containing tobacco which, because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette described in clause (i) of this definition. The term "cigarette" includes "roll-your-own" tobacco, which means any tobacco which, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling is suitable for use and likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco for making cigarettes. For purposes of this definition of 'cigarette,' 0.09 ounces of "roll-your-own" tobacco shall constitute one individual 'cigarette.'"

There is no way this definition is broad enough to include electronic cigarettes.

Robert H. Smallenberg
In-House Counsel
Teamhealthechoice

[Slickstick]

From what this sounds like, is not illegal but it is also up to the bar owner. I would think bars that allow E-cigs would get more business than the ones that will not.

[Mac]

It certainly hasn't hurt sales. That is for certain.