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Staying Healthy

Arvada Passes Smoking Ban

Businesses Where 50 Percent Or More Of Its Profits Are From Alcohol Sales Exempt

POSTED: 9:48 am MDT October 12, 2004
UPDATED: 11:02 am MDT October 12, 2004

The Arvada City Council Monday night voted to further restrict smoking in the city.

The city council voted 5-2 to ban smoking in public places including restaurants, bowling alleys, and outdoor sports venues. However, the ban makes provisions for any business that takes in half of its profit or more from liquor sales.

There is also an option for businesses to build a separately ventilated, fully enclosed room for smokers.

Nonsmokers have been pressuring council members to snuff out the butts for health reasons, but for diehard smokers and restaurant owners, it came down to a matter of economics.

"I counted yesterday when we had customers in here. Ten out of 11 were smoking," said Cindy Stuckey, who has been serving beers behind the bar at Sue's for 16 years.

Mark Clagett has been smoking for more than 30 years. He said no ban would make him quit.

"It will just keep me out of smoking in bars, I'll smoke elsewhere. I'll drink my beer at home where I can smoke my cigarettes," Clagett said.

And that's what tavern and restaurant owners throughout Arvada were worried about -- that their customers will head to places in nearby Wheatridge, Westminster or Denver, where smoking is allowed. They say for a true smoking ban to be effective, it must be statewide.

Arvada's current smoking ordinance, which limits smoking in work places, has been in place since 1986. It requires employers to provide employees with smoke-free work areas upon request. In restaurants seating more than 25, nonsmoking sections must be large enough to accommodate demand and the old ordinance prohibits smoking in retail stores, grocery stores and at sports arenas.

Several Colorado communities have already banned smoking in all public places. Fort Collins, Greeley, Pueblo, Alamosa, Louisville and Snowmass have gone smoke-free. Aspen, Boulder, Montrose, Superior and Telluride also have some form of a smoking ban.


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