It is well into month three of the smoking ban in Louisville, and people say that complaints have been abating progressively. The ban took effect July 1st, and the numbers show things can only go up from here. There were 366 complains in the first month, or an average of about 12 per day, but in August and September the number of complains dropped monumentally, to an average of about four per day, a 66 percent decrease!
Judy Nielson, the deputy director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, said that the numbers indicate that more people are in compliance with the law.
Fewer people may be complaining, but Nielson added citations aren't being paid. There has been no legal action taken to collect fines, but few people feel that they should have to pay a fine for smoking.
Bar owner Cres Bride was less impressed by the effects of the ban so far, saying, "Business is off about 12 percent, and that's [just] the bar. We're down about 40 percent on our pool tables and video machines. People like to smoke a cigarette when they shoot pool."
While many still have complaints to voice, the majority of the population is backing the ban, and only time will tell how it will affect businesses in the long run.
