Maybe not right now, but pretty soon. This is the result of a bill that is in the works in the Nebraska Legislature. If the bill goes through the final approval stage, cigar lovers will be able to smoke in designated cigar bars in the state by September of this year. The Omaha World Herald has this report:
Cigar smokers would be able light up in designated cigar bars sometime in early September under a bill given final approval by the Nebraska Legislature this morning.
State lawmakers voted 27-22 to approve the cigar bar exemption, which had been pushed by Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh.
The vote came after Lautenbaugh fell five votes short of allowing the exemption to go into effect immediately.
Legislative Bill 355 now goes to Gov. Heineman. If Heineman signs it into law, as expected, the exemption would take effect three months after the 2009 session ends, which is tentatively set for June 4.
While opponents decried the cigar bar exemption as endangering people’s health, Lautenbaugh portrayed it as a common-sense change. Cigar bars were created for people to smoke cigars. The statewide smoking ban, which takes effect in June, would put them out of business, he argued.
“Given the hysteria surrounding smoking issues in general, it is nice to preserve a little bit of freedom for adults in Nebraska,” Lautenbaugh said.
Lautenbaugh is right. While smoking in public can endanger the health of non-smokers, cigar bars are there for a reason. Why go to a cigar bar if you do not want to inhale secondhand smoke? Adults know that smoking can be bad for you. Let them decide for themselves if they want to light up or not.