Smokers will have to brave the cold when lighting up at Bismarck bars this winter. In a 4-1 vote, the Bismarck City Commission this evening approved extending the city’s smoking ban to include all bars, truck stops, and tobacco stores. Bismarck joins Fargo, Grand Forks, and other North Dakota cities who have also implemented full smoking bans. The new ban takes effect November 1.
Supporters of extending the ban had argued that everyone, namely patrons and employees, had a right to breath clean air. Opponents argued that such a ban restricts the freedoms of bar owners and smokers, in addition to citing concern that such a ban might have a negative impact on bar revenue.
Bismarck’s neighboring cities, specifically Mandan and Lincoln, have yet to pass a ban on smoking in bars.
