US: Church St. Smoking Ban Goes Into Effect Wednesday

Source from:  WVNY ABC22 12/15/2014

Reminder for smokers: Just a few days left to legally light up on Church Street in Burlington.

The much-debated smoking ban goes into effect on Wed., December 17.

"Honestly, I think that if you really want to smoke, you should be allowed to smoke," said Stephen Thompson, a smoker. "I don't think that the government or anyone else should be in our business, especially about smoking."

Burlington City Council disagreed. On November 10, it passed the smoking ban ordinance 11-3.

Most people we spoke to on Sunday were in support of the ban, including multiple smokers.

"I really support the smoking ban," said Mike Blake, a pipe smoker. "Now, it happens that I smoke a pipe and I'd be happy to not smoke the pipe here on Church Street because it's a gorgeous place."

"It doesn't bother me. There's a lot of people who don't like cigarette smoke and I don't blame them. Everybody has a right," said Dennis Godin, also a smoker.

Opponents worry the ban will force smokers to congregate on side streets. Because of its nightlife scene, some business owners feared it would hurt their bottom line.

Buck Frisch, manager at Church Street Tavern, thinks the opposite. "I'm all for it," he said. "Especially with our outdoor seating, a lot of people will be walking by or sitting nearby on a patio and smoking and it blows right at our guests and there's kids and they're having lunch. We have a back door so it's legal to smoke out there for our patrons if they want to go out back."

"I totally support it. I think it's a good thing. I don't think we should be exposed to secondhand smoke at all," said Heather Parker, a non-smoker.
The Burlington Police Department says it will be spreading the word on the new ordinance using signage.

The 24-hour ban starts Wednesday, December 17th. Punishments could range from a warning to a $100 fine.

Ban covers all tobacco-related products, including E-cigarettes from Main St. to Pearl St.

Burlington Police Chief Mike Schirling has compared the impending smoking ban to the existing bans on skateboarding and biking. Unless the behavior is repetitive, people haven't really been getting ticketed. Enditem