LANSING -- At an emotional and celebratory ceremony at the Michigan Brewery Co. Pub, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed House Bill 4377 into law making Michigan the 38th state to go smokefree.
HB 4377 will make all Michigan bars and restaurants smoke-free, including those within casinos, protecting the health of patrons and employees alike. The legislation will exempt the Detroit casino floors, cigar bars and tobacco specialty businesses. It will go into effect on May 1, though many bars and restaurants are expected to start the transition sooner than that.
It was a packed house at the ceremony, and many lawmakers were joined by health care advocates, as well as supporters and some parents who just wanted their children to see the historic event. The act is called the Dr. Ron M. Davis Law, and his widow, Nadine Davis, was also on hand at the ceremony.
“I have long supported a smoking ban that will protect employees, patrons and citizens from the dangers of secondhand smoke,” Granholm said. “This laws shows that the health of Michigan citizens is a top priority. We will create more smoke-free environments with this law, which will lead to a healthier state.”
Also speaking to the boisterous and happy crowd was Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor, who has led a more than decade-long crusade in the Legislature to protect Michigan workers from dangerous secondhand smoke exposure.
“With the Governor’s signature today, workers around the state will soon be able to breathe a little easier,” he said. “A lot of people have been waiting for this day for a long time, and I am pleased that we were able to pass this law during my time here. While this finally moves Michigan in line with a majority of states around the country.”
Basham also said the first bill he introduces in 2010 will be a bill to make the Detroit casinos smokefree.
“There are still some employees who will have to work in smoke-laden environments, and I will keep fighting for them as well,” he said.
Studies have shown that nearly two-thirds of Michigan voters support a workplace ban that includes bars and restaurants. Data from the New York City Department of Finance shows that tax receipts increased by 8.7 percent, or approximately $1.4 million, after the city went smoke-free. Between March 2003, when the city went smoke-free, and December 2003 there were 10,600 new jobs in its bars and restaurants. Florida saw similar results, and reported that retail receipts for taverns and bars that served food remain unaffected by its smoke-free law.
2 comments:
I wondered when you'd use the NY smoking ban as an example. This has been debunked by another study that found the numbers were skewed because of the 911 terrorist attacks. I'm not going to bother chasing that one down. I gave it the other day, and you still used the same flawed study.
Then there are the other studies that are all found to be flawed. The smoking ban studies are all turning out to be similar to the global warming scare tactics. False.
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7451/
http://robertbrandt.homestead.com/files/smoke103005.pdf
http://www.nycclash.com/HeartAttacksInNY-PressRelease.html
http://www.opposingthe-uk-smokingban.org/The%20Great%20Helena%20Heart%20Fraud.htm
But I'm not surprised that you'd use false information to advance your agenda. It's typical of socialist democrats.
Sorry, anonymous, it has not been debunked. See, it’s not a study, it’s the results. What the hell does 9/11 have to do with anything?
The simple fact is there are no credible studies that show a smoking ban hurts business because it doesn‘t. Second, we have the results from the 37 other state that are smoke free, as well as numerous other countries that are smokefree.
Just like the U of M study says, “On the economic front, however, most research shows smoke-free legislation had either no effect or a positive effect on hospitality industry revenues. Tamara Wilder, a research fellow at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, says other studies that found negative effects from the legislation were poorly designed and didn't factor economic conditions, which is important to determine what causes revenue decreases.”
I’m still waiting for someone to tell me how less than a quarter of the population can have such an economic effect. You continue to ignore that.
I have never used “false information,” and there is no such thing in this country as a “socialist” Democrat, and that is just a fascist republican talking point.
Here’s the bottom line, anonymous, Michigan bars and restaurants are smokefree, and within a year the casino floors will also be smokefree. It won’t be long before the reaming 12 states will also be smokefree.
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