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Jefferson City Considers Smoking Ban 

Saint Louis County recently passed an ordinance banning smoking in most bars and restaurants. The easily passed smoking ban has led many Jefferson City residents to question whether St. Louis's ban will influence their city to pass a similar ordinance.Felicia Poettgen is the chairperson of Smoke Free Jefferson City. She says a smoking ban should not economically hurt restaurants in Jefferson City.

"We have seen the sales tax reports from Columbia. And from that we have seen from that we've seen that there is no affect. Even in this economic downturn, the sales tax reports from restaurants and bars have not gone down, in fact it has increased. I know a lot of times people say, O these places close down. It's to our knowledge the places that closed down where the places that were going to close down anyways."

A smoking ban failed to pass in 2003, but Poettgen says times have changed. She says the St. Louis County's smoking ban approval will greatly influence Jefferson City.

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