Changes made to Gadsdens proposed smoke free air Ordinance

A new proposed City of Gadsden Smoke Free Air Ordinance will prohibit smoking within 20 feet of buildings and in bars, restaurants and other public places.  It does, however, carve out an exemption for cigar bars, despite smoke-free advocates pushing for a complete ban.  The City council’s Public Safety Committee met Tuesday, and made some changes to the proposed ordinance that the committee had discussed April 29. It will be considered May 20 by the full council.  It would prohibit smoking in all enclosed areas of employment in the city.  Smoking would be allowed in cigar bars where 10 percent or more of the quarterly gross revenue comes from the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption and 50 percent comes from the rental of humidors and the sale of cigars for on-premises consumption by customers.  The business also must have a functioning, walk-in, commercial-grade humidor on the premises.  The committee denied a request from the American Lung Association and the Alabama Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to not give cigar bars an exemption.  The proposed ordinance would allow smoking in retail stores that are the sole occupants of a building and get 90 percent of their sales from tobacco or tobacco products.