Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S.
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-22-2017, 02:15 PM
 
7 posts, read 7,013 times
Reputation: 13
Although I know the growing trend is very, very anti-smoking, I currently live in a country where there is a lot of freedom to smoke in places like restaurants, on trains, in taxis, in casinos, in restrooms, in shopping malls, etc.

To me, one of the greatest joys in life is cigarette smoking, so this is something I'm really curious about in the US. Whenever I go to the US (mainly Southern California) there are laws banning smoking in workplaces, so I have to go outside to smoke. Even if I'm smoking outside, I get dirty looks and so on for smoking, and it makes me feel like I'm doing something very rude.

Visiting Las Vegas is a bit different. Smoking is fine in casinos and at bars, but there are still many places where one isn't allowed to smoke, like in restaurants and so on.

I'm curious if anyone knows a place in the US where people can still smoke like it's the 1970s or a Tarantino movie. I know there are states where smoking is allowed in restaurants and so on, but I don't know how socially acceptable it is considered in these places, and I don't know how common it would be for places to actually allow their patrons to smoke, even if it's legal for them to.

It's a bit of an odd question, but please, let me know, what's the smoker-friendliest place in the country?

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-22-2017, 02:17 PM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,234 posts, read 13,747,657 times
Reputation: 18026
Quote:
Originally Posted by heavysmoker View Post
Although I know the growing trend is very, very anti-smoking, I currently live in a country where there is a lot of freedom to smoke in places like restaurants, on trains, in taxis, in casinos, in restrooms, in shopping malls, etc.

To me, one of the greatest joys in life is cigarette smoking, so this is something I'm really curious about in the US. Whenever I go to the US (mainly Southern California) there are laws banning smoking in workplaces, so I have to go outside to smoke. Even if I'm smoking outside, I get dirty looks and so on for smoking, and it makes me feel like I'm doing something very rude.

Visiting Las Vegas is a bit different. Smoking is fine in casinos and at bars, but there are still many places where one isn't allowed to smoke, like in restaurants and so on.

I'm curious if anyone knows a place in the US where people can still smoke like it's the 1970s or a Tarantino movie. I know there are states where smoking is allowed in restaurants and so on, but I don't know how socially acceptable it is considered in these places, and I don't know how common it would be for places to actually allow their patrons to smoke, even if it's legal for them to.

It's a bit of an odd question, but please, let me know, what's the smoker-friendliest place in the country?

Thanks!
I don't think there is any place that smoker friendly these days. In Wyoming you can still smoke in bars but nowhere else. Where do you live that this is allowed?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 02:44 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
47 posts, read 58,614 times
Reputation: 136
I presume anywhere where tobacco is grown or where cigarettes/cigars/etc are manufactured. Maybe the Carolinas?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 03:01 PM
 
Location: The Republic of Gilead
12,716 posts, read 7,740,287 times
Reputation: 11323
Oklahoma City.

A lot of bars and restaurants in OKC still allow smoking since the state law doesn't forbid it. Slowly but surely this is changing as a result of the free market, but most people are surprised when visiting OKC to find out they still have smoking in bars and clubs. Indian casinos are also quite smokey places.

It kind of goes with the conservative culture of the place. Cannabis is excessively illegal and beer has to be watered down to 3.2% ABV (to appease the Baptists) yet smoking cigarettes is still socially accepted and common.

I wish I could still smoke cigarettes myself. I love it, it's just the health risks are too great and I want to live to old age.

Last edited by bawac34618; 10-22-2017 at 03:17 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 03:07 PM
 
Location: USA
2,753 posts, read 3,277,819 times
Reputation: 2192
Texas, Mississippi, and Kentucky have pretty lax tobacco laws. Conservative states are more lax than liberal states when it comes to laws regarding health.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 04:18 PM
 
11,445 posts, read 10,386,180 times
Reputation: 6273
Quote:
Originally Posted by HumpDay View Post
Texas, Mississippi, and Kentucky have pretty lax tobacco laws. Conservative states are more lax than liberal states when it comes to laws regarding health.
I'm a staunch liberal and this is the one issue I agree with conservatives on
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 04:25 PM
 
7 posts, read 7,013 times
Reputation: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by NDak15 View Post
I don't think there is any place that smoker friendly these days. In Wyoming you can still smoke in bars but nowhere else. Where do you live that this is allowed?
I live in Rural Japan.
I also recently visited the republic of Georgia in the Caucasus and smoking was allowed pretty liberally as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 05:20 PM
 
4,370 posts, read 7,021,562 times
Reputation: 5206
Each U.S. state has different varying sales taxes on cigarettes sold there.

Here is a Map that explains https://taxfoundation.org/state-cigarette-taxes

Generally, the southeastern states have very low cigarette tax. There is a famous store near highway/ motorway #95 in Kenly, North Carolina for discount cigarettes

The northeast coastal states, and the west coast states have very high cigarette tax.

It is illegal in northern states, to smuggle (carry) more than a few cartons of cigarettes when driving from the south into the northern states. Each pack of cigarettes is labeled with a blue paper strip that says where it was bought. Maryland policemen will wait outside a cigarette store in Virginia or watch for drivers with Maryland car licenses to come out carrying large cartons of cigarettes. Also, there was a famous tragic incident of a man, who supported his family by selling untaxed cigarettes bought in the south, who was accidentally shot and killed by policemen in New York City a few years ago

Last edited by slowlane3; 10-22-2017 at 05:31 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 05:34 PM
 
3,782 posts, read 4,206,610 times
Reputation: 7892
So the MD police get your license number and then nail you at the border? Cause they sure can't arrest you in VA. What a waste of taxpayer money. Local cops in VA should harass the heck out of the MD cops for loitering. Can't arrest them, but they sure could be fun hassling them for ID.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-22-2017, 06:56 PM
 
Location: South Beach and DT Raleigh
13,966 posts, read 24,018,151 times
Reputation: 14759
Quote:
Originally Posted by westbymidwest View Post
I presume anywhere where tobacco is grown or where cigarettes/cigars/etc are manufactured. Maybe the Carolinas?
This is the problem with presuming.... While North Carolina is arguably the most dependent state on Tobacco, one cannot smoke indoors in almost all places. This includes bars, restaurants, etc. Even in many covered outdoor spaces, it's illegal to smoke. Only under very special conditions can one smoke indoors. An example of this would be a private membership country club. Those places are not open to the public and may choose to make their own rules. Fraternal organizations like the Masons, Knights of Columbus, etc. may also make their own rules. All in all, expect all publicly accessed places to be smoke free statewide.
South Carolina is a bit more complicated. As I understand it, smoking areas must be physically separated and ventilated. I also hear that cities may strengthen the rules to ban it in restaurants and bars altogether, but I'll let someone who is more familiar with SC explain it. Anyone???
In Florida, bar owners may still allow indoor smoking but cannot allow smoking if they are also a restaurant.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S.
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top