Jump to full article: WFSB (Hartford, CT), 2003-01-21
Intro: As state lawmakers consider raising the cigarette tax to help balance the budget, two bills are being pushed to snuff out smoking in Connecticut restaurants. Smokers feel singled out and are fighting for their right to sit down and light up.
Peter Zambri still sits in the smoking section even though he quit cold turkey seven months ago. But Peter doesn't think smokers should give up their right to eat and smoke inside.
Peter Zambri: "I think its wrong. Every area should have a smoking area as long as better ventilation area. Should be no problem with that."
When our Eyewitness News cameras arrived at the Triple A restaurant in East Hartford, more people sat in the smoking section than in the non-smoking one. The owner says any push to make his place smoke-free would be bad for business.
"Yes, its going to hurt the business. I know from New York. My friend has a diner. Its business goes down because [it doesn't] have any smoking section anymore."
Some state lawmakers say the evidence is quite the contrary in California and in individual restaurants in Connecticut.
St. Sen. Kevin Sulliva\(D) West Hartford: ". . . The notion that there's a loss out there is absurd."
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