MI Business Owners Air Smoking-Ban Complaints

Local businesses met with two state legislators to vent their frustrations over the state's smoking ban, which has drastically impacted their sales.

August 18, 2011

TAYLOR, MI - More than 100 bar owners, their employees and foodservice vendors affected by Michigan€™s smoking ban gathered earlier this week to express their frustrations to two state legislators, the Detroit Free Press reports.

The group said the state€™s smoking ban has drastically impacted their sales, forcing them to fire workers and in some cases, consider closing operations. State Rep. Douglas Geiss and Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, who both voted for the ban, listened to the group€™s concerns.

Dave Hahn, who owns a local pub and video vending company, said his companies€™ sales have dropped 25 percent and 40 percent, respectively, since the ban took effect on May 1, 2010. He said that as a result, his house is in foreclosure.

Tino Hammond, who owns a bar across from a downtown casino (exempt from the smoking ban), said business is down 44 percent. "Once they exempted the casinos, that was it for us," she said.

Lance Binoniemi, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, said on-premise liquor sales at bars and restaurants have dropped nearly 18 percent since the ban took effect, while off-premise sales have increased.

Geiss said he was "lied to" when he was promised a hearing last year on an amendment for the ban that would have allowed for separate vented smoking rooms. That hearing was postponed and then canceled, he told the crowd.

Geiss has reintroduced his amendment and hopes a hearing will be held in the fall.

"Let's try to right this wrong and make it work for all Michigan," Geiss said, adding that if he could vote for a repeal of the ban, he would.

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