Some Mich. bars to allow smoking New Year's Eve

LANSING, Mich. — Some Michigan bar owners plan to protest the state's 8-month-old smoking ban by allowing partygoers to light up after 9 p.m. Friday.

Organizers won't reveal the names of participating bars.

"They're not necessarily promoting it, but rather they're not going to prevent people from smoking," said Steve Mace, spokesman for the protest being organized by Bloomfield Hills-based Protect Private Property Rights in Michigan.

The ban went into effect May 1. It prohibits smoking in workplaces, public buildings, bars and restaurants.

Mace said each bar will handle the protest as it sees fit. Some may simply put out ash trays for the first time since May; others may go further to encourage smoking.

The goal: to let lawmakers know that banning smoking is bad for business, according to some industry advocates.

"Of the calls I'm getting, 60% are from businesses saying it has hurt their business and ... they're barely able to survive now," said Ed Deeb, president of the Michigan Food and Beverage Association. "I don't know if the protest will be effective, but maybe it will draw some attention and cause legislators to change the law."

State officials say their own studies show the ban has had no major effect on bar sales.

A report released Dec. 21 by the state Department of Treasury showed a slight increase in sales taxes collected at bars, taverns, nightclubs and restaurants in the past year.

State health officials say they don't plan to monitor the protest but will investigate all complaints, said James McCurtis, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Bars that violate the ban face a $100 fine for the first offense and a $500 fine for subsequent violations, McCurtis said.

"Businesses that willfully break the law and allow smoking in their establishment are risking fines and potentially being shut down," he said.

Individual smokers or customers cannot be cited for violating the ban.

(source:usatoday.com)