With a few exceptions all enclosed public places in Tennessee are smoke-free today. The smoking ban applies to restaurants, workplaces, sports arenas and hotels.
April Anderson is a bartender at Nashville’s popular restaurant SouthStreet. She says a lot of people she works with are wondering if their bar business will slow down.
“I think it’ll hurt everywhere at the beginning, but then I think people will just get up and go outside and smoke a cigarette and come back inside like they’ve done for years in California. I had friends come in from California and they still went outside and smoked. They said it’s not right to smoke inside.”
Anderson just stopped smoking about a month ago and says the smoking ban will probably help her. The Tennessee Department of Health says in anticipation of the smoking ban, the state’s tobacco-quit line has had a jump in calls from people like April who want help quitting.
There are some exemptions to the smoking ban: private clubs, residences, cars, plus places that are 21 and up.
State officials have even set up a hotline for people to report violations. Individual penalties start at $50, for businesses it goes up to $500.
The number to call if you suspect a business of disregarding the ban is 1-800-293-8228.
TN’s Tobacco Quit Line: 1-800-Quit-Now
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