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Hookah lounge to open on Evansville's East Side 

Business partners Khaled Elkhal and Mohammed Metoui plan to bring a hookah lounge to 519 N. Green River Road for reflecting on the ancient hookah smoking practice, which originated in India and spread across the Middle East.

The business site is located in a strip mall, behind the Acropolis Greek Restaurant.

Called Charazad Hookah Lounge, the Mediterranean-themed operation will feature hookahs, or water pipes, for use in smoking, said Elkhal. . . .

The facility will seat fewer than 50 and will provide an air filtration system that meet proper air standards.

No one under 18 years old will be permitted to enter the establishment, Elkhal said.

City Attorney David Jones said there is no absolute ban on smoking in local restaurants and bars as long as the businesses follow the city's smoking ordinance, which Elkhal said Charazad plans to do.

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VIDEO: Bar Reverts To Old Smoking Policy After Ban Fails  

An Indianapolis bar has reverted to its old smoking policy, just three weeks after it had implemented a ban in anticipation of the City-County Council passing a comprehensive ban.

Metro Nightclub managers thought they were being proactive by going smoke-free about a month before the council vote, but lighting up is again allowed a week after the council vote was tabled, 6News' Sarah Cornell reported.

"They didn't pass the law, so we decided ... a lot of customers complained about smoking, a lot of customers complained about not smoking," said Metro employee Jason Montgomery. "We have more customers that smoke, so let's make it smoking again."

Montgomery said being smoke-free didn't cost the bar business because it had gained some new, non-smoking clients.

Being able to light up again has ignited discussion among regulars.

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• Why Indy's behind the pack  

In fact, in the past four years, more than 250 municipalities across the country -- including 11 in Indiana -- have limited smoking in those public places. Which begs a question: What makes Indianapolis different?

Experts say it is a combination of factors: Hoosiers' reluctance to change; the absence of a strong health culture; and a cautious political climate.

Others point to a lack of support from leaders, including Mayor Greg Ballard, who, after weeks of silence on the issue, last week said the city's current ban on smoking in restaurants and other public spaces works just fine and no further restrictions are needed.

On Monday, the City-County Council voted 14-13 to table the issue. It would take support from a majority of the 29-member council to revive debate on the ban.

Running through the current of opposition, experts say, is an individualistic spirit rooted deep in Indiana's pioneer culture.

"There's a real sort of libertarian streak in this city: Don't let government tell me what to do, and don't let government tell businesses what to do," said Dave Strong, an Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis sociology professor who studies social movements. "There's no question we're months and, in some cases, years behind the curve." . . .

But there's another powerful business lobby speaking in favor of the ban: the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.

Roland Dorson, the chamber's president, said having a comprehensive smoking ban bolsters the city's progressive image, and that helps attract talent.

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Smoking Ban Photo 2 

Anti-smoking advocate Jamey Abersold brought a lung cancer specimen to the student demonstration condemning Indiana University’s tobacco policy.

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Ballard Weighs In On Smoking Ban Debate 

ust days after a controversial comprehensive smoking ban was voted down in the City-County Council, Mayor Greg Ballard weighed in on why he didn't actively support the ban.

When he ran for office, Ballard said he would support a smoking ban, but reports from some media outlets accused him of convincing the council to vote against the ordinance.

Ballard said Thursday that he didn't influence anyone, but that his support for the ban waned as he considered who would have been affected.

"I've been pretty clear that I'm never going to tell an Iwo Jima vet that he can't smoke in the VFW. You can take that for what it's worth," Ballard said. "I think there's something out there, but I wish they would concentrate on the health and stop demonizing everyone."

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IUS smoking ban draws small protest  

A protest Thursday by a handful of students against Indiana University Southeast's tobacco-free policy resulted in four students receiving referrals after they refused to put out their lit cigarettes at the request of school officials.

School spokeswoman Jenny Johnson Wolf said the students were referred to the vice chancellor for possible disciplinary action.

"We're glad to see the students taking an active role, but we have to enforce policy," she said.

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It’s no smoke: IU Southeast students protest smoking ban 

A small group of students at Indiana University Southeast protested the university's tobacco-free policy by lighting cigarettes and smoking on campus Thursday afternoon.

Three students received referrals after campus police asked them to put out their cigarettes and they refused, but the protest remained peaceful. Another half dozen students joined in the protest or carried signs but chose not to smoke.

Ian Girdley, a sophomore English and journalism major, organized what he called the "act of civil disobedience."

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VIDEO: Mayor Ballard still on fence over smoking ban expansion 

Even if the City-County Council eventually passes the proposal, it would still need Mayor Greg Ballard's support.

Eyewitness News asked him where he stands on the smoking ban.

Eyewitness News: "Will you sign it as it is?"

Mayor: "I've said I would not tell Iwo Jima vets they cannot smoke at a VFW. I'm not going there.

Eyewitness News: "So you wouldn't sign it?"

Mayor: "That depends on what it says."

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VIDEO: Council vote tables smoking ban 

Smoking rules will stay the same in Marion County. Monday night, the City-County Council rejected a proposal to create a smoking ban.

The vote was 12 "yes" and 13 "no" -- meaning it was an "indecisive" vote.

At the meeting, the two groups on either side of the issue divided themselves by colors. Red shirts on one side wanted to preserve the right to smoke in bars. The green shirts on the other side wanted more restrictions.

"In this debate, we are talking about the health and lives of workers. The health and lives of workers threatened by secondhand smoke, indoors. The importance of workers’ lives and health trump the liberty interests of smoking indoors, where people work," said City-County Councilmember Brian Mahern (D).

The red shirts clearly rejected that argument, preferring to let adults make their own decisions.

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OUR VIEW: Light up a hot debate 

It may be inevitable for Ball State to go smoke-free. About 60 colleges and universities have banned smoking, according to Americans for Nonsmoker's Rights. Ball State administrators support it, and they will make the final decision.

Regardless of whether the ban passes or not, if you don't take a stand and support a side of the issue, there is no one to blame but yourself when the final decision comes.

Don't snuff out the important issues, Ball State students and faculty. Turn up the heat on the debate.

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Secondhand smoke's cost adds up for county  

Secondhand smoking costs Marion County $47.5 million or about $54 per person annually in medical expenses, a study released Wednesday by Indiana University researchers finds.

The report, which comes a week before the City-County Council will vote on a stricter workplace smoking ban, cited expenses for ambulatory care, clinic visits, prescriptions, hospital visits and loss of life among nonsmokers. It was sponsored by Smoke Free Indy and Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation.

Nearly 100 adults, children and infants in Marion County died in 2008 from exposure to secondhand smoke, deaths that could have been prevented, the study's authors argue.

Secondhand smoke exposure can lead to lung, breast and other cancers, spontaneous abortions and asthma. In children, it contributes to low birth weight, sudden infant death, allergies and ear infections.

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EDITORIAL: Arguments against ban go up in smoke  

It's time for the City-County Council to hammer home the coffin nails for some long-dead arguments that keep being propped up against the movement to clear the air in public places.

No, bars and restaurants don't sign their death warrant when they go smoke free.

No, smoking wherever you want is not a constitutional right; and when it harms other people, as secondhand smoke has been proven to do, it is a wrong.

No, property rights are not absolute for public accommodations; hence, we have fire codes and food-handling restrictions. . . .

Economics and personal rights, far from being abridged by a smoke-free environment, have been enhanced in cities bold enough to go all out for public health. A city that takes pride in being a hub of the medical and life-sciences industries should be a leader in tobacco cessation. That moment may have passed; but the trend Indianapolis can follow has become clear as cigarette-free air.

As doctors tell smokers, it's never too late to quit.

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Smoking ban backers, opponents vow to keep battling 

Supporters of a stricter ban on smoking in Indianapolis workplaces said the City-County Council's decision Monday night to table the proposal will not kill efforts to get legislation passed.

Ben Hunter, a Republican council member who co-sponsored the bill with Democrat Angie Mansfield, said he hopes Indiana lawmakers will pass a statewide ban.

"We've at least raised the debate," Hunter said. "Hopefully, [state legislators] will champion the cause."

If not, Hunter said he still believes the local proposal will find new life and ultimately pass. He expects another vote on the proposal to occur sometime early next year.

"[Opponents] don't have the votes to kill it," Hunter said. "We do have the votes. It's just a matter of tweaking" the measure.

The proposal fell short of the 15 votes needed to pass, with the final tally 13-12 against the ban. Council members then decided in a 14-13 vote to table the legislation, which means it can return to the council agenda at future meetings.

The proposed ordinance would have prohibited patrons from lighting up in bars, bowling alleys and nightclubs. It would have broadened an existing law that prohibits smoking in most public places, including restaurants that serve minors.

"It's unfortunate the council wasn't able to get it passed and make all Indianapolis workers a lot healthier," said Melissa Lewis, chairwoman of the advocacy group Smoke Free Indy. "Luckily, the council will get another chance to bring Indianapolis forward with the rest of the country."

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Bars, Customers Decry Proposed Smoking Ban  

The days of lighting up could be numbered inside Indianapolis bars, pending the outcome of an upcoming City-County Council vote on a toughened smoking ban.

The council is set to take up the strengthened ordinance at a Monday night meeting, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

Bars, such as the Sugar Shack Saloon on the city's east side, have had their customers sign petitions that contend they are trying to "protect their rights."

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Chamber of Commerce Endorses Smoking Ban  

The City-County Council votes Monday night on closing nearly all the loopholes in the county's smoking ban. The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce is endorsing the measure.

The Chamber supported the many exceptions carved into the original ordinance, including bars, clubs and bowling alleys. President Roland Dorson says it was the only way to get something passed.

He sees a different landscape this year.

"As many as seven out of 10 folks in the metropolitan region are supportive of this," Dorson says. "We've advanced the ball a little bit, and people are willing now to consider far fewer exemptions."

The council could try to amend the ordinance further before a final vote, but the only surviving exemptions in the proposal at the moment are for cigar bars and hookah bars.

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