Some District of Columbia bars and restaurants are worried that a smoking ban that begins today will drive business acrossthe Potomac River to tobacco-friendly Virginia.
“A lot of people are just going to drive closer to home [in Virginia],” said Jody Taylor, manager of the Black Rooster Pub in downtown Washington. “For a lot of people, it’s hard to have that cold beer in one hand without a cigarette in the other.”
Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty says that the District has reviewed bans in other major cities and found no evidence that the new laws hurt business.
In fact, Arlington County Board chairman Paul Ferguson said smoke-free bars and restaurants may send Virginia customers into Washington.
The District follows 21 states and more than 2,300 municipalities that have instituted smoke-free workplaces, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights.
Maryland and Virginia do not have statewide smoking bans for restaurants and bars. Virginia — a tobacco-growing state — doesn’t allow municipalities to enact their own smoking bans.
On Capitol Hill, smoking is still allowed in the congressional offices. Incoming Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signaled she may move toward a smoking ban.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
