The statewide smoking ban that took effect last year is getting mixed responses in different communities. In Reno, for example, the majority of businesses are in compliance. In Southern Nevada, the numbers are a little different.

The Washoe District Health Department is reporting a 98 percent compliance rate with the law. The Southern Nevada Health District continues to log complaints.

The Las Vegas Sun reported that over the last 18 months, 4,022 complaints have been filed in Southern Nevada, although no citations have been issued.

Part of the problem is that there is no enforcement mechanism behind the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, according to Stephen Minagil, an attorney for the health district.

“There is no place to have hearings. We’re ready to write citations. We’re just waiting to hear how the justice court wants to handle them,” he said.

The American Heart Association of Nevada estimates that a couple hundred establishments are not complying with the law.

Some try to get around the restriction on the use of ashtrays by giving patrons shot glasses or water cups to use as, well, ashtrays. Others keep the ashtrays behind the bar and only provide them upon request.

Golden Gaming has taken a different approach to dealing with the ban at its pubs and taverns—PTs and Sierra Gold. It is offering something called NJOY, a product that delivers nicotine using water vapor instead of smoke.

The idea is catching on, according to Christopher Abraham, vice president of marketing for Golden Gaming. In the first two weeks after the product was introduced in January, he estimated customers purchased about 100 of the NJOY product. At a price of around $85 (Golden Gaming sells them at cost), it’s a sizable investment to avoid stepping outside for a smoke.

“People are buying them, so to me, that is positive feedback,” Abraham said.

Tavern owners are challenging the law in court. No one really expects the law will be overturned.

Some, in fact, expect the law is just the first step on the path to a statewide smoking ban. Minagil, for example, thinks that eventually the casinos will be smoke-free, too.

By Casino Connection Staff

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