Hookah Bliss Getting Smoked Out By Government: Franklin St. hookah bar finally fined
It’s been almost four months since North Carolina’s indoor smoking ban
went into effect, and the owner of Chapel Hill hookah bar, Hookah Bliss,
is beginning to experience the consequences.
Bliss received his first $200 fine Monday because he’s continuing to let patrons smoke hookah indoors and drink alcohol. He’ll continue to receive $200 fines every day for not coming into compliance, said Tom Konsler, Orange County’s environmental health director.
Hookah bars, where patrons can smoke shisha, or flavored tobacco, through hookahs, violate the indoor smoking bill despite owners’ statewide efforts to gain an exemption.
Bliss would be able to keep serving hookah if he stopped serving alcohol. He said he can’t afford to do that, but he can’t afford the fines, either.
He’s about to enter an appeal process, but until then he is considering suspending beer sales.
The N.C. Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch outlines how the law should be enforced. After a health department receives indoor smoking complaints, they send a series of violation notices to the business.
But after the warnings, local health departments can decide how to continue enforcement.
Konsler said he received a complaint about Hookah Bliss last week. Bliss had already received three violation notices, so the department gave Bliss his first $200 fine. Konsler said Bliss will continue to be charged $200 every day he stays open.
Initially, a department official visited the hookah bar to validate each complaint. Not necessary anymore, Konsler said.
“He has stated that as long as he’s operating, he’s going to be allowing smoking tobacco products,” Konsler said. “So it’s a very safe assumption that each day he’s open, he’s in violation.”
But David Rice, health director of New Hanover County Health Department, is handling the fine process with Wilmington hookah bar Juggling Gypsy differently, issuing citations after each new complaint. Since mid-February, Juggling Gypsy has received three fines.
Rice said he thinks it should be up to local health departments to decide how to enforce.
For now, Juggling Gypsy has turned to non-tobacco hookah products.
FULL STORY
Bliss received his first $200 fine Monday because he’s continuing to let patrons smoke hookah indoors and drink alcohol. He’ll continue to receive $200 fines every day for not coming into compliance, said Tom Konsler, Orange County’s environmental health director.
Hookah bars, where patrons can smoke shisha, or flavored tobacco, through hookahs, violate the indoor smoking bill despite owners’ statewide efforts to gain an exemption.
Bliss would be able to keep serving hookah if he stopped serving alcohol. He said he can’t afford to do that, but he can’t afford the fines, either.
He’s about to enter an appeal process, but until then he is considering suspending beer sales.
The N.C. Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch outlines how the law should be enforced. After a health department receives indoor smoking complaints, they send a series of violation notices to the business.
But after the warnings, local health departments can decide how to continue enforcement.
Konsler said he received a complaint about Hookah Bliss last week. Bliss had already received three violation notices, so the department gave Bliss his first $200 fine. Konsler said Bliss will continue to be charged $200 every day he stays open.
Initially, a department official visited the hookah bar to validate each complaint. Not necessary anymore, Konsler said.
“He has stated that as long as he’s operating, he’s going to be allowing smoking tobacco products,” Konsler said. “So it’s a very safe assumption that each day he’s open, he’s in violation.”
But David Rice, health director of New Hanover County Health Department, is handling the fine process with Wilmington hookah bar Juggling Gypsy differently, issuing citations after each new complaint. Since mid-February, Juggling Gypsy has received three fines.
Rice said he thinks it should be up to local health departments to decide how to enforce.
For now, Juggling Gypsy has turned to non-tobacco hookah products.
FULL STORY
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