Boise smokers take final puffs

BOISE (AP) - Smokers have taken their last puffs inside Boise's bars, with new laws that took effect Monday snuffing out smoking in city bars, parks and many other public areas.

One new ordinance approved by the Boise City Council bans smoking in bars and private clubs, near bus stops or transit areas, on commercial patios on public property or accessible to children, in outdoor lines and within 20 feet of a city-owned building.

Only restaurant patios on private property that do not allow people under 21 are exempt.

Another ordinance bans smoking in all public parks, except in designated areas.

Smokers gathered Sunday night at the 10th Street Station for a Great Final Smoke-Out before the clock struck midnight. A sheet of paper taped outside the downtown Boise bar invited customers to come in and "toast to freedom of choice."

Bartender Dan Krejci said he believes it will take three to six months before Boise bars can gauge the impact on of the ban their business.

Some customers will find head to bars in nearby cities that still allow smoking, Krejci said.

"That would be an ideal thing, to be a bar owner in Garden City right now," he said.

But other customers who don't like smoky spaces will likely filter in after the ban, Krejci said.

Quinn's Restaurant and Lounge owner Gary Sullivan, a staunch opponent of Boise's new ordinances, said they violate the constitutional rights of business owners and individuals.

Sullivan said he quit smoking years ago because the habit got too expensive. He already offers plenty of nonsmoking space in the family-dining side of Quinn's, but the idea of retiring the ashtrays on the lounge side rankles him.

"It's my bar," he said. "I should be able to make the rules."

Customers echoed the sentiment.

It stinks," Boyce Williamson, a 91-year-old Quinn's customer who favors cigars. "They're taking our freedom."