Bars exempted from smoking ban

Publication Date: 2009-04-01

• Publication:News & Observer

A proposed smoking ban now mostly applies to restaurants, not bars.

After an hour and a half of discussion, an amendment to exempt dining facilities that do not allow minors from a statewide smoking ban passed 70-46.

Restaurants could still allow smoking as long as they did not allow patrons under the age of 18.

The practical effect would be that many bars could still allow smoking, while family-oriented restaurants such as Applebee's would go smoke-free.