LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Could cigar bars and lounges be coming to Louisville? A new ordinance in front of Louisville Metro Council is hoping to pave the way.
An ordinance proposed by Councilman Mark Fox, D.-District 13, and Anthony Piagentini, R.-District 19, would change Louisville's Smoke-Free Ordinance to allow cigar bars in the city. Under the current ordinance, which was passed in 2008, indoor smoking is banned in all public spaces and worksites, which includes cigar shops.
The ordinance would define a cigar bar as a business that generates at least 51% of its revenue from cigars and cigar-related products. The cigar bars could also apply for food and beverage licenses. Piagentini said there are other rules as well, which include that the businesses be physically separated from any establishment that does not allow smoking or serves customers younger than 21. It would also ban other forms of smoking and tobacco products aside from cigars and pipes, which would include cigarettes and electronic smoking devices.
"You won't be walking into a restaurant and all of a sudden be exposed to cigar smoke," Piagentini said. "This will not change anyone's exposure."
Piagentini said the ordinance's priority is to help small business owners in Louisville and to keep tax revenue in the state of Kentucky.
"A lot of times, people, they come here, they go across the river and spend their Kentucky dollars or their tourist dollars in the state of Indiana. Indiana benefits from that," he said.
Jeff Mouttet, the owner of Riverside Cigars and Match Cigar Bar in Jeffersonville, said he had lived in Louisville for 20 years and worked at a smoke shop downtown, but had to open his cigar bar across state lines due to the ordinance.
"My initial plan was to be in downtown Louisville, but there was no way to do it with the ordinance the way it was written, so I ended up in Jeffersonville and things have gone great," he said.
Mouttet said his business has grown over the last 10 years to become one of the most prominent cigar bars in the region, bringing in around $2 million in sales each year. He said at least 50% of his regular customers come across bridges from Louisville, and the majority of his tourists are also usually visiting Louisville.
"A lot of people that travel to Louisville will get on Google and search 'cigar bar Louisville.' And they'll end up here," he said. "We get a ton of bourbon trail tourists. We get a ton of people who come for concerts and shows."
But the ordinance faces opposition from local health leaders who are worried it would weaken the Smoke-Free Ordinance, which they credit for reducing smoking and smoking-related health issues over the last decade.
"We've seen decreases across adult smoking rates, across new cancer cases and across cancer deaths," Rebecca Hollenbach, the executive administrator for Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness Center for Health Equity, said. "And we don't really want to see that trend go in the opposite direction."
According to Hollenbach, even the provision in the ordinance that would require proper ventilation and maintain high air-quality standards to prevent smoke migration is easier said than done.
"When you smoke indoors, the smoke accumulates both in the air and on surfaces, and it leads to harmful second-hand, third-hand smoke exposures," she said. "According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, there's no effective ventilation or air purification system that will eliminate the impact of indoor smoke."
Piagentini argued the scope of the ordinance would only allow cigar bars to have indoor smoking, and that people who do not want to be exposed will not have to deal with the second-hand smoke. He also argued allowing cigar bars along with a smoke-free ordinance does not show an increase in smoking-related health issues, citing studies in Austin and Nashville.
"We have no impact on public health, but we have shut down and limited the opportunity for small business owners and business owners to spend their money to create a more welcoming atmosphere where more money can circulate in the Louisville area, and that just doesn't make any sense."
The ordinance has passed through committee and is scheduled for a vote in front of the full Metro Council. The vote was originally scheduled for Thursday evening, but Piagentini said it will be pushed back two weeks.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.