Smoking for the arts

[Jim O'Bryan]

Last week I ran into a film maker that was doing a documentary on how smoking is helping the arts. The gist of the pitch was we should smoke more, and as he talked to others he was having them light up and support art while he filmed. To be honest it got almost funny as 6-10 people waited in line to be filmed while chain smoking and coughing.

One interviewee actually mentioned how he wished gambling would have passed so that he could of won more money to buy more cigarettes.

The filmmaker was gone to other areas, but saw him back again today.

The footage was funny, until you realized that every nail in their coffin brought the arts $0.01 cents.

Thoughts?


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[ryan costa]

The film Coffee and Cigarettes indicates all the coolest artists smoke.

In a high school business class we were told an anecdote about a guy with a lakefront house. He wanted a big fancy Satellite for his tv. The city had zoned against putting them in front yards, as it might spoil the view of motorists and hurt property resale prices. He put it in the front yard anyways and successfully defended himself by declaring his backyard the front yard and the front yard the back yard.

There must be similar tricks for getting around the smoking ban. like, "I am just breathing". Maybe inhalers containing pressurized smoke and nicotine. Pressurized Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide with a dispenser what adds real tobacco smoke flavor.

[Jeff Endress]

There must be similar tricks for getting around the smoking ban. like, "I am just breathing". Maybe inhalers containing pressurized smoke and nicotine. Pressurized Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide with a dispenser what adds real tobacco smoke flavor

Ryan

A LOT of people have been looking for the loophole. An attorney colleague of mine represents a statewide restaurant owner's association....they haven't been able to figure out a loophole. Problem is, what was publicized, and the actual language of the statute that you were voting for, are two very different things. For example, voters were told that the ban would not affect private clubs....then it turns out that if a private club has ANY employees, ANY person present under 18, or is NOT a stand alone building, the ban applies.

Jeff

[Stan Austin]

Jim--- Actually this week represents quite an irony and a disconnect. Cuyahoga County presumably will benefit from increased revenues from the cigarette tax. Meanwhile, tomorrow marks the beginning of the further restrictions on smoking as a result of passage of state issue 5.

These two seemingly contradictory trends will take a few years to work themselves out I think.

Stan

[ryan costa]

If there is a line, it must be fine.

A crowd of people standing outside smoking will be seen as a line by passersby.

[Jeff Endress]

The solution is, of course, to roll your own. There are a number of web based tobaccanists...Start up kits to make a couple cartons cost around $25....including a cigarette stuffing machine.

The tax doesn't apply to cigars! ALthough now there's nowhere I can smoke one.

Jeff

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jeff and Stan

These problems are not unforeseen. Let's be honest both bills were majorities picking on minorities. For it or against it, it mattered not. the high and mighty have spoken and majority rules. Now it up to the weak minority to try and seek some small bit of salvation or compensation.

I voted for the smoking ban because it was that or let cities like Lakewood perform a strange dance of suicide, by outlawing it on their own. In my fragile little mind, the difference between one city outlawing it and every city is night and day. Still it smacked of beating up the little guy.

I doubt that there was really any substantial amount of money going to any "art group." so it the decreasing places to smoke will not really matter.

,

[Phil Florian]

From what I have heard (and seen, at the Woods in RR) is that a lot of bars and restaurants are setting up outdoor tents or overhangs or some such for smokers to congregate at to do their thing. People will find a way to accomodate this minority of people who simply can't go a few hours without smoking. As long as I don't have to walk through that condensed area of smoke, this sounds like a workable solution to me.

What I really don't like about the bill is the need to put up NO SMOKING signs EVERYWHERE. I think since the locations publicly that you CAN smoke is far less, those should be the places that get, YES, SMOKE HERE signs. I don't have a DON'T MURDER ANYONE HERE sign in my building but I seem to remember that it is against the law, too. Maybe after a while, before the inevitible Big Tobacco Goes to the Surpeme Court for the Little Guy movie, we can loosen the sign restriction when it is the accepted norm.

[Jim O'Bryan]

What I really don't like about the bill is the need to put up NO SMOKING signs EVERYWHERE. I think since the locations publicly that you CAN smoke is far less, those should be the places that get, YES, SMOKE HERE signs. I don't have a DON'T MURDER ANYONE HERE sign in my building but I seem to remember that it is against the law, too. Maybe after a while, before the inevitible Big Tobacco Goes to the Surpeme Court for the Little Guy movie, we can loosen the sign restriction when it is the accepted norm.

Phil

Are you sure?

I saw a special thing on the law this weekend and one of the things they were talking about is that because you can no longer smoke anywhere there would be no signs.

That reminder signs are up now but soon it will be up to each of us to turn in our smoking brothers and sisters.

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[Stan Austin]

Phil and Jim--

At the end of last Monday's council meeting Human Services Director Dottie Buckon pointed out that that following Thursday (this past Thursday, now) the new smoking ban would take effect. She indicated that our Health Department had been meeting with its counterparts at the city, county and state levels for the past several months.

These meetings were to figure out methods to implement the ban. I also remember a local program on WCPN with an individual from the state health department about a month ago.

The upshot of all this activity is that there are some clear cut, black and white areas of the ban. You can't smoke inside a bar. But then, there are some gray areas. If smoking is allowed outside it has to be far enough away from the entry door so that smoke can't migrate inside.

My takeaway is that it will be several months before all the kinks are worked out of this ban. Many other states and cities have already had bans in effect so we aren't going into uncharted waters. Still, it will take time.

Stan

[Phil Florian]

Are you sure?

I saw a special thing on the law this weekend and one of the things they were talking about is that because you can no longer smoke anywhere there would be no signs.

That reminder signs are up now but soon it will be up to each of us to turn in our smoking brothers and sisters.

This was something I had read a while back but then again, it was from a pro-smoking advocate so I did take it with a grain of salt. From some friends in the sign business I have heard that there was a sharp increase in orders for new No Smoking signs so whether or not this is mandated or simply people wanting to get into the spirit of the thing I am not sure.

That said, Jim, can you make a sign for our building!?! Or our hallway, at least.

Stan, thanks for the information. That makes a lot of sense. They have passed the law but there are no clear-cut rules on how to implement them. Which is why (cough) our building still has at least a smoker or two doing their thing indoors without fear or consequences. Like you said, this is a well-trod path so it shouldn't be rocket science to get some clear rules in the books.