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Frequently Asked Questions: What about restaurants? You do not list any smoke free eating places. You list motels and B&Bs. The California law states that if one wants to smoke then they need to be 40 ft. away from the entrance to the place of business. This is not the rule here in Billings. Smokers smoke right outside of businesses. In order to get in the door, I must walk through that unhealthy air. I believe what is needed is that businesses provide a place for smokers to smoke in. People that have the habit find it hard to quit and the majority just don't want to. I just relocated (6 months ago) from San Diego. It was a pleasure to inhale clean air in San Diego. Here it is awful... I am more than willing to help clean up your wonderful air of tobacco smoke and make Montana and Billings, a clean air place to live. Lots of questions: The Montana law has no provision to prevent people from congregating outside an establishment. This just didn't make it to the compromise that represents our law. We tend to agree with you and dislike running the gauntlet of smokers to go into a building. This is clearly a change for the future. Billings is big hole in our coverage. We just haven't quite had the interest there in helping us identify establishments that are truly smoke free. If you would like to help, let us know and we will put you to work helping us identify completely smoke free establishments. Actually, studies show that 80% of smokers would quit, if they just could. It is a powerful addiction that begins (90% of the time) in adolescence. Smoke free laws do help people quit (between 5 and 12% of smokers will quit because of them.) To help clean up our state's air even further, read the section on the law on this website, and file complaints where the law is violated. Description: WHY IS THE SHAMROCK BAR NOT ON YOUR LIST ? IT IS ONE OF THE WORST BARS FOR SMOKE !! DO THE SMOKER EATERS EVEN WORK ?? I DON'T THINK SO. First: We don't list places that smoke, we list places that are smoke free. The sites that are listed in the exceptions category are those establisments that have actually applied for an exception with the state of Montana. However, a business does not HAVE TO apply for an exception. If they think they meet the exception, they may continue to allow smoking without appying for an exception. We agree this is a problem. All we can try to do is be sure that smoke free businesses are indeed smoke free. We do list those businesses that HAVE applied for an exception to warn the public that they may allow smoking. You are absolutely correct that smoke eaters don't work. There is no technology that removes tobacco smoke from the air. The only way to protect workers and patrons is to go smoke free. And lastly, we can make a mistake on the database. The state sends us updates quarterly, and we may miss a business on the updates. It looks like we missed the Shamrock. But it is in there now!! Question: Can you clarify the Exceptions that Montana Brewing Company and Cactus Creek have. They are not listed as being casinos or bars in that listing. I believe that both the Brewpub (not the casino and not Hooligans) are smoke free, and also that the restaurant and bar portions of Cactus Creek (but not the casino) are smoke free. They are both allowing children into the restaurant/bar sections. Is the exception really for the casino portion of those businesses, and if so can you clarify on the exception list? We take a much stricter definition of "smoke free" than state law. Any business that has requested an exception to the law is presumed to allow smoking and is not listed. The exception list comes from the state and consists of those businesses that have requested an exception from the state. We require businesses be 100% smoke free. So if the casino allows smoking and is part of the restaurant and bar business, or in the same building, they won't be listed. |