Jump to full article: Great Falls (MT) Tribune, 2007-10-07
Author: ERIN MADISON Tribune Staff Writer
Intro: More than 90 percent of public buildings and workplaces in Montana became smoke-free two years ago when the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect.
On Oct. 1, 2009, all bars and casinos in the state will be nonsmoking as well.
Even though the total smoking ban is still a couple of years away, some bar owners in the state are choosing to outlaw smoking now, while others are worrying about how they'll cope once their patrons can't light up a cigarette. . . .
Mark Staples, attorney for the Montana Tavern Association, hasn't heard any rumblings of trying to fight the smoking ban, adding it hasn't been on the forefront for tavern owners since it passed.
Tovson knows that bars in Boston and New York City, where the winters can be just as bad for outdoor smokers as Montana, have been smoke-free for a couple of years and they're still making money. He still thinks the 2009 ban will have a negative impact on his business.
"Maybe I'm just worrying too much," he said.
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