Businesses open cigar bars to allow smoking patrons indoors. But is it legal?
Jump to full article: Albuquerque (NM) Alibi, 2008-02-07
Author: Simon McCormack
Intro: Billy's Long Bar converted one of its rooms into a cigar bar in late December so folks could smoke cigars and cigarettes indoors.
The question becomes whether new cigar bars are legal under the state's Dee Johnson Clean Indoor Air Act, which banned smoking in New Mexico businesses last year.
"It is clearly not allowed," says City Councilor Michael Cadigan. "We can't let businesses flaunt the law, because once the camel's nose is under the proverbial tent, it's going to be more difficult to enforce the law in the future."
Cadigan contends the limits on what can be considered a cigar bar make it illegal for establishments like Billy's Long Bar to open cigar lounges. He notes the last stand-alone cigar bar in Albuquerque, the Cigar Lounge, closed in 2007.
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