Jan 1, 2007 4:39 pm US/Central
Arlington Smoking Ban Goes Into Effect
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 News) ―
The air will be a little cleaner next time you visit a restaurant or bar in Arlington. The ashtrays and designated smoking signs are being put away. The city council passed an ordinance last year which bans smoking. It went into effect with the new year.
The ban means that non-smokers like Debbie Smith will be venturing out more. "I was excited," she said. "I could start going out to more restaurants and venues again and not, you know, have an issue with it."
It also means that some restaurant regulars will be looking for other hangouts. "I've heard a lot of them say that they'll go somewhere else," said Jeff Grijalva, the manager of Humperdinks in Arlington. "But hopefully they'll still come here."
At Humperdinks, a makeshift patio was put together to accomodate those who still wish to light up. Grijalva explained, "No smoking within 50 feet of any opening door, so we had to put the patio stuff outside."
Hosptials, like Arlington Memorial, no longer have designated smoking areas. Exterior signs telling employees and patients about the change will go up on Tuesday. The same goes for all area schools, libraries and museums.
Grijalva added, "Being a smoker myself, I don't necessarily like it."
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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