On Friday, a judge denied a restraining order brought on by a lawsuit from Harrah’s Casinos and over 50 other bars that would have temporarily halted the new smoking ban in New Orleans. That means as of midnight tonight, smoking will be illegal in most bars, restaurants and gaming floors throughout the city. While passed unanimously in late January, the law has been rather controversial. Earlier this month, the City Council amended the law to allow for outdoor smoking areas, eliminate rules that would require smokers to be five feet away from an enclosed area and created a new definition for a cigar bar. Last week, the New Orleans Planning Commission voted 8-1 against the City Council’s definition of a cigar bar as a business that generated at least 10 percent of its revenue from cigars and related accessories and humidor rentals. That was largely seen as a way to exempt one business—La Habana Hemingway in the French Quarter—at the request of Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey. La Habana has been uniquely controversial because while the business is effectively a cigar bar, it was operating with a restaurant license, something it was found to be in violation of multiple times. The smoking ban ...
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