Smoke-free GF comes this weekend

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The stroke of midnight Saturday is the dividing line between a world where you can smoke in Grand Forks bars, truck stops and the bowling alley and a world where you can’t.

That’s about the extent of the change, though, because bars have been seen as the last refuge of the smoking crowd, and as old habits die hard, city officials have been fretting about the transition.

The Grand Forks Public Health Department has been busy explaining the law to businesses and providing tips for dealing with difficult customers. City Council members worried this week about more littering on downtown sidewalks as more smokers step out to indulge their habit.

Here’s a short tip sheet on what smokers need to know and what businesses that serve them are hearing from health officials:

For the smokers

- No smoking in any workplace or public place except hotel rooms, hospital rooms and nursing homes if management allows. Also, no smoking in tobacco shops except the ones licensed before March 1, which are grandfathered in.

- No smoking within 15 feet of any door into any workplace or public place, except the places above.

This probably doesn’t mean you have to bring a tape measure with you all the time. City Attorney Howard Swanson told council members earlier this week the intent is just to keep the smoke from wafting into the building and police officers will not be measuring where you stand when you smoke anymore than they’d pull you over for driving 26 in a 25 mph zone.

- You can still smoke on the patio or a wind screen outside a bar, provided the bar serves only alcohol there, but not food.

- If you break the law, you can be fined $100 on the first violation and $500 on the second if it’s within a year of the first offense. If it’s a year after the first, the fine would be only $200.

For the businesses

- You have to post signs banning smoking in a conspicuous place. No particular design is required, but the signs must be pretty clear. Public health has some you can have ranging from straight forward — “This is a smoke-free establishment” — to somewhat jubilant — “Proud to be smoke free!” Call (701) 787-8100 for your sign.

- If someone wants to smoke on your premises, public health advises you to be understanding but firm. You might say, for example: “The local ordinance no longer allows smoking inside here. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to step outside to smoke.”

The point, the department says, is to emphasize that it’s the law and your business could be fined for not complying. Public health also advised trying to spread the word about how bad second-hand smoke is using facts such as: “Secondhand smoke has been proven to cause lung cancer and heart disease and has been linked to asthma and other serious respiratory problems” or “Secondhand smoke contains more than 60 cancer-causing compounds.”

- If they insist on breaking the law, call the police at (701) 787-8000.

- If you want to build a shelter for employees or customers to smoke in, it can have a roof, but only enough walls to cover 50 percent of the perimeter. In other words, it can’t be fully enclosed. People inside would end up in a smoky room all over again.

Reach Tran at (701) 780-1248; (800) 477-6572, ext. 248; or send e-mail to ttran@gfherald.com.

Tags: gf and egf, smoking bans, health, news, business