Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006 | 7:06 a.m.
Tavern owners who already have said they will close their kitchens as a result of Question 5, even before the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act goes into effect, are reactionary fools. Prior to the election, opponents of Question 5 were all saying: Let the market decide! Yet now they are not willing to actually give the market a chance to show them what the result of Question 5 will be.
Other tourist towns, such as Los Angeles and New York, have actually seen improvements in business as a result of smoking bans. This makes sense since nonsmokers are in the majority, and they are no longer repulsed by what were once smoke-filled establishments.
In fact, I predict food sales would go through the roof as a result of Question 5. After all, smokers will need to fulfill their oral fixation somehow. Wouldn't the tavern owners prefer making a profit by selling them food, as opposed to letting them smoke cigarettes they bought somewhere else?
William Bruchert, Las Vegas
archive
