Lawsuit Waiting To Be Filed Against St. Louis Smoking Bans

By Chad Garrison on Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 8:22 am

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Butt in or butt out! Just don't ride the fence.

New laws banning smoking in most bars and restaurants in St. Louis city and county went into effect yesterday. And, as chronicled in today's Post-Dispatch, a preponderance of grizzled old smokers are really upset with the ban.

"I'm 60 years old, and I want to smoke. And they are going to tell me 'no'?" a chain-smoking regular at the Courtesy Diner tells the daily.

So, what can you do about it? Bill Hannegan, of Keep St. Louis Free, believes he has the answer. He's already discussed the smoking ban with an attorney and believes they have a good chance of overturning the new laws by challenging the exemption for casinos. All he needs now is a few more people to step up and join his effort.

As Hannegan tells Daily RFT: "A legal challenge to the St. Louis City smoking ban is ready to go and a lawyer who specializes in Missouri smoking-ban law is just itching to file it. All we need to do now is raise some more money. Those who claim to hate this ban need to put up or shut up."

Click here for more details about the potential lawsuit.