Public smoking to be banned in Indiana?

Many tobacco store owners and others with business affiliated with smoking are up in arms over three proposed bills in Indiana that would ban public smoking. Two of the bills comes from the state Senate and one originates in the House of Representatives. All three would affect current smoking legislation in the state of Indiana as it currently stands.

The bill proposed by the House of Representatives, formally known as HB1131, would ban smoking in places of employment, public places, and even retail tobacco shops. The two bills proposed by the Senate, known as SB233 and SB95, would similarly ban smoking in places of employment and public places, but would exempt retail tobacco shops from the ban. Completely out of luck would be cigar bars, as not one of the bills exempts such establishments from the proposed smoking ban. Casinos and horse tracks could be spared, though. Regardless, all three bills have struck a nerve with many in the state and could have a negative impact on local businesses as well as Indiana’s economy.

Those most concerned with the proposed bans are members of the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association, or IPCPR. The IPCPR has approximately 2,000 members. Among the members of this non-profit organization are cigar manufacturers and distributors as well as cigar store owners and the like. Not only do many opponents of the ban feel that legislators should be spending their time on more pressing issues, but they also claim that such proposed bans are unnecessary and would do more harm than good to the state.