Five weeks after being petitioned to enact a smoking ban, the Southaven Board of Aldermen voted 6-1 on Tuesday night to enact a smoking ban that will prohibit lighting up in public places, including bars and restaurants, including a 15-foot area from the entrance or exit to any such place where smoking would be prohibited. A report in The Commercial Appeal said that the majority of discussion came about between the board and Donna Wadford, the owner of Wadford’s Grill and Bar, a restaurant and cigar bar, who feared that the ban will force her to close her establishment. Fortunately, she and her customers will be able to keep lighting up on the cigar bar side of her business, which will be granted an exemption as a retail tobacco store. Wadford said her establishment is the only cigar bar in the state. Southaven is the third largest city in Mississippi, with a population of just over 50,000. Located in the northwest corner of the state, it is considered a suburb of Memphis, Tenn. since it is located just 15 miles south. The ban goes into effect on August 4, 2014. The full text can be found here, beginning on page 152.
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