Indoor smoking regulations passed in New Orleans in January went into effect at 12 a.m. Wednesday; smoking in bars and casinos, among other places, is now prohibited. The New York Times has a fun slice-of-life dispatch from some of the city’s more nicotine-oriented locations:
“This is one of the smokiest bars in town,” said Steve Zweibaum, 57, the owner of a jazz venue nearby who, while smoking a cigarette, spoke of how he had quit smoking long ago. “I know a bunch of people who don’t come in here because of the smoke,” he said, listing names. “Maybe they’ll come back.”
The Times links to the website of a “nonsmokers’ rights” group, which has compiled a list of smoking laws in major United States travel destinations. Among the cities that don’t completely ban smoking in restraurants and bars are Atlanta, Las Vegas, Memphis, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and a number of municipalities in Florida.
