Businesses make moves to ban smoking

Publication Date: 2009-07-11

• Author:Jennifer Chambers
• Publication:Detroit (MI) News

As lawmakers dither on a smoking ban, more owners of bars, restaurants and concert venues are taking matters into their own hands and voluntarily becoming smoke-free.

There are six bills pending in the Legislature about a workplace smoking ban. Three call for no-exceptions bans throughout the state. One would exempt cigar bars and tobacco specialty retail stores, and another would exempt those types of businesses and Detroit's three casinos.

A ban that would include bars and restaurants failed in 2008, when lawmakers couldn't reach a compromise on differing House and Senate versions.

Jeremy Haberman, owner of the Magic Bag, and his brother, Daniel Haberman, who co-own the Bosco, say they are tired of waiting for the Michigan House and Senate to act on legislation that would protect workers and customers from secondhand smoke. The Bosco also became smoke free on Independence Day.

"We felt like it was time. The politicians who were responsible for making the world a better place were more concerned about casinos and political aspirations that doing the right thing," Jeremy said.

"The movement in Lansing at this point is very disappointing and we hope we can shame some of the legislators into doing this for everybody," Daniel added.