The small village of Romeo, Mich. has ended a moratorium on smoking lounges and passed an ordinance that will allow for such businesses, should they meet a set of guidelines. While the village has not posted the ordinance’s text on its website, SourceNewspapers.com reports that anyone wishing to open a smoking lounge must first get an exemption from the state to allow for indoor smoking. Then, they must ensure that the business will not operate between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., it must prohibit outdoor activities and prevent loitering by customers, and there will be no storage lockers made available, except for humidors. Minors must not be allowed inside the lounge and the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Lounges will also be required for providing private security should the business generate an abnormally high number of police calls. The village council approved the proposal 6-1 at its meeting on Jan. 12. Romeo is home to approximately 3,600 people and is located about 40 miles north of Detroit.
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