Nevada Real Estate >> Las Vegas Real Estate Specialist: How Many Lives Will Be Harmed in Las Vegas From NOT Smoking This Year?

Why not alcohol?

My favorite smoker comeback.

If I have a drink, it affects MY health, no one elses.

If I were to smoke, everyone around me is affected.

Marc:  I think the short term effects will be worse than the long term effects.  If you do have too much alcohol and you cause an accident that injures someone else on the ride home that does affect someone else's life.  I am just looking at the ENTIRE picture here.  That is why I say "why stop there"?

Renee-

Granted anything taken to an extreme can be harmful.

And trust me, I wasn't trying to jump on you!

 

I personally believe that if there WAS a market for non-smoking bars and restaurants, people would have cleaned up on the demand years ago.  Legislating supply/demand in this industry seems a bit silly. (as long as we as a government continue to allow the sale of cigarettes).

There is a bigger dollar hit from obesity/health than from second hand smoke. (I'm PRETTY SURE - sorry no link).  The first hand smokers pretty much die 'young' with not as much cost impact...cancer discovery to death is shorter than the obesity to FATAL heart attack timeline.

All that said - we vote in the legislators, so.........

Believe me, with all the social ills in this town, smoking is one teeny tiny bit of the equation.  One of the downfalls of living here is turning our head to ignore alot of what goes on.  That may be what I was getting at and I wasn't offended by your remark whatsoever!  This is the wild, wild west after all!

Rob:  this was an initiative on our ballot last November.  Like I said, I skipped on voting on it because of the inequities of the big players playing by the rules vs the little players getting squashed & the resulting economic effect.  I sure as heck don't want smokers in grocery stores anymore but I didn't want the little corner gaming bar/tavern dining establishments to go by the wayside.  We voted for it and we got what we wanted, I guess.

Wow, I'm all for not smoking, but come on!!!  When the larger companies don't have to play by the rules it creates an atmosphere that none of us want!  I love all the unique places that we have here...who wants the franchises?  The smaller, more intimant restaurants are much more fun and that's exactly what this is targeting!

Renee.... this is starting to happen all over.  Sure, there are costs involved to possibly make it work... but many establishments don't want to put that money out. not sure of their return and how long it would take.

Around NJ.... since they passed the no smoking laws......  many bars and restaurants have designated sitting areas outside.... 

Chris:  Bingo!  That's how I feel.  I dislike wally world, I love the small boutique in the strip that wally world anchors.  You know what?  You also get stuff, more than likely made outside of China and for comparable prices to wally world.  It's just harder to find and it isn't convenient as going to that one store to get everything at once!  Small business makes the world go round!

Jeff:  Here's the conclusion I came to:  each of these places know their clientele.  A gamer cannot exactly excuse themselves from their machine for a smokey-treat outside.  It isn't a normal bar/grill.  The nature of the beast here is not the same as CA, NY or PA.  It is obvious that the gamblers are smokers!

Did your husband offer an insight as to why the 'big boys' were exempt?

I'm sure that the ripple effect of this ban can go on and on (the baker who made the homemade buns, the produce supplier...) and on and on (the doctors, the medicine supplier, the EMT...)

It is really too bad (no sarcasm intended) that 1000 or so people might lose their job.  But hmmmm, perhaps someone might quit smoking alltogether so they can continue to frequent their local bar...maybe 1000 or so people might not lose their lives (maybe I am just exaggerating).

You didn't vote on this topic?  Given the choice now (again)....would you?

Sorry (again no sarcasm intended) about Kilroy.  I hope you find another place where you, your friends and family can go to and have great times and memories.

P.S. I do smoke (sadly).

Allen:  P.S. would that be wacky tobacky? :winkwink:

OooOoOO come on now, Renee.....I haven't smoke that kind of stuff since.........

**looks at watch for the time**

:P

4:20?

Hi Renee,  Thanks for the visit.  While I don't smoke, I found your comments very interesting with regards to all the other things which are harmful in the short & long term that we choose to minimize or ignore.

Lola Audu, CRS GRI

Audu Real Estate

www.auduhomes.com

Interesting topic. I'm originally from Montana and Las Vegas is the last place I would have thought would put a nix on smoking. It is interesting that smoking is what people want to minimize with all of the other things that go on in town. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Lola & Darron:  I heard the other day that we have lost 4000 jobs already from this.  I do find that hard to believe because restaurants found a loop hole and are still allowing people to smoke in most restaurants.  Some have banned it but not all.

Darren, don't worry.  When smoking is stomped out, the people that are so hell-bent on making sure that no one else does something they don't like (or get off on controlling others) will move on to the next "evil" thing.  Drinkers and the overweight are already in their sights.

Somehow, the image of Carry Nation comes irresistibly to mind whenever I hear this kind of nonsense (or it would be nonsense if it weren't so clear that the goal is to create a whole nation in their image).

On another smoking blog, I mentioned the solution that Austin, Texas, came up with that seemed ideal.  Smoking was not allowed in public places such as restaurants and bars; however, a restaurant or bar, should its owner decide that it was in their financial best interests, could purchase, for a pretty penny and with certain requirements, a smoking license that would allow them to allow smoking in their establishment.  One of the requirements would be that a sign would be prominently posted on the front door identifying the place of business as a smoking establishment so that those who did not care for smoking could patronize other establishments.  You'd think this would satisfy those who want to have smoke-free venues, right?  It would certainly allow both smokers and nonsmokers to enjoy an evening out.

But, no.  The nonsmoking contingency would have none of it!  They ranted and raved and pressed and could not rest until things were changed so that no one could smoke anywhere.  At that point, I lost any sympathy I might have had, because the vast majority of venues in Austin were non-smoking, but they so c learly feared that someone might enjoy a cigarette somewhere that they had to make sure that it didn't happen.  Sorry, that's not concern for health, that's control issues on a major scale. 

For the record, I don't smoke, never plan to after trying it once almost 40 years ago.  But that doesn't mean that I don't know that it's entirely possible that whatever I DO enjoy might very well be next and if I say, oh, well, it's okay, I don't smoke, I'll have lost any right to object.

What on earth is this country coming to?

Tricia:  I thank you for (and I enjoyed) your lively comment! 

We have had smoke-free restaurants for a while not. I know in the beginning a lot of people were upset about the change. Now the sports bars are more crowded than ever -- could it be people are leaving smoke-free homes to watch with a crowd? Before the band I don't think there were any smoke-free sports bars. Even Applebee's allow smoking. I guess this is the pendelum swinging the other way. 
I agree there should be a place where smokers and nonsmokers could enjoy the same things without intervention but that was not the case and now the law has stepped in to change things to other way.

Freddie

Catch me here. 

Freddie, my point was that in Austin, in response to the non-smoker's demands for a no-smoking ordinance, one was passed, it was unpopular with both the smokers who like to go out to eat and hear music and the owners of the venues, and it was modified into a compromise that served both parties - so it WAS the law stepping in.  However, the nonsmokers would not compromise - they had to have it their way, absolutely, all the time, everywhere they could possibly manage, and they wouldn't stop until they got it.  That's when the true motivations became obvious, in my opinion.

I figure next they'll try to ban smoking in private homes.  And then, if they win that battle, they'll look around for someone else to go after.  Aftrer all, transfats are being banned in New York City and Chicago - fat people are probably the next target.

 

 

I have seen anti-smoking laws that are a little more particular and probably for the right reasons.

For instance - one that I have seen says that there can be an audit of your sales... if the sales of food are 30% or lower in contrast to alcohol, you can keep smoking... there were many bars that specifically reduced their menus and sometimes prices to accomodate that ruling.

For restaurants, it was harder because they obviously make their margin on food...

I hate to think, though, that smoking in and of itself doomed the company to failure...

just to keep the neighborhood grill alive I'd think smokers would just learn to deal with it and smoke out back like they did @ work for so long

This is an interesting topic.  How would the restaurant know before the ban that they would go out of business if they don't allow smoking?  There is a town close to me that had just one restaurant/sports bar that was opened and marketed as a non-smoking restaurant and they are always packed.

As a nonsmoker myself, I am more inclined to go to a place that doesn't allow smoking as are many people that I know.  Are smokers only going to eat out if they are allowed to smoke??? That doesn't make sense and I find it hard to believe.  I live in Iowa and the people who can't smoke at work will stand outside in -20 degree blizzards to smoke a cigarette.  I imagine that if it were restricted in all restaurants, they would do the same when out to eat.

The restaurant's response here seemed a little bit "doomsday-ish" (I know that isn't a word), but again....I'm a nonsmoker, so it is just my opinion.

Heather, if there was truly DEMAND....... there would have been PLENTY of non-smoking BARS over the past 15???????????  years - and made a TON of money.  Legislation seems silly to me.

 If someone can explain why typical market forces did not make 'non-smoking' bars at LEAST 1/2 of all bars in the past.....I'd love to hear it.

Heather, businesses need to keep a finger on the pulse of their customers.  In many, if not most, cities, for years now there have been smoking and non-smoking sections.  It is pretty easy for a restaurant to keep tabs on how busy the two different sections are and, thus, to have an idea of what proportion of their business comes from people who choose to sit in the smoking session versus those who choose to sit in the non-smoking section. 

And Rob's right.  The reason that the anti-smokers had to resort to legislation in order to get their way (meaning, nobody gets to smoke anywhere in public, and there get to be NO establishments to serve those that choose to smoke no matter HOW many establishments choose to cater to nonsmokers) is that market forces were not upholding their claim that most people wanted nonsmoking bars only. 

 

Interesting that this has been resurrected.  Many of the restaurants found a loop hole and still allow their customers to smoke.  The loop hole is that the individual customer will get fined by the Health District. The health district is fighting to cite the restaurant over the individual.

Heather:  I lived in Nebraska and what I am saying here is that some of our most unique institutions (that LV is famous for) could go by the wayside with this ordinance.  Our unemployment rate is up a half a percent since this took place.  Interesting, since not many other economic factors could be a player in this game, huh?

Sorry to stir the pot :)  I am only speaking on the few places I know of here (meaning in Iowa).  I understand both viewpoints and I would never presume to know anything about the restaurant/consumer market in the Las Vegas area.

They just increased the cigarette tax here by $1 and people are up in arms. 

Thanks for the feedback :)

Heather:  No, thank YOU for the feedback.  I re-read my comment and found it a tad condescending, just so you know that I am not condescending, I LOVE different viewpoints :)