Indiana to see statewide smoking ban?

FORT WAYNE, IND. (WANE) - Could a statewide smoking ban be in Indiana's future? A bill that would do just that has jumped a major hurdle during the 2010 Indiana General Assembly on Thursday.

Many communities – like Fort Wayne – already have some type of ban. That fact that smoking's not banned in Allen County has changed the way some people do business.

Tempers were hot in the Summer of 2007 – not because of the heat – but because that's when Fort Wayne's smoking ordinance went into effect, banning lighting up in most public places.

"We dropped about 30 to 35 percent in sales," said Jeff Hamilton, Black Dog Pub owner said Thursday.

Hamilton then decided to open a family dining room to increase business.

"Actually sales have increased over time," Hamilton said, citing the dining room for bringing in more money.

Allen County's less-restrictive smoking ban also took effect in 2007, and many would say that pulled business away from Fort Wayne and brought it to surrounding communities like New Haven, where smokers have more freedoms.

"We saw a lot of new faces," said Myra Anderson, owner of Rack & Helen's in New Haven.

And whether its smoking or the dining experience, Myra Anderson of Rack & Helen's says people kept coming back.

"We spent a lot of money on air quality," Anderson said.

In fact, that was about $25,000, which could be a big loss. That's because a house committee passed a *statewide smoking bill that would ban smoking in most public places, except casinos and other gambling operations.

"I am all for the ban [because] I'm addicted to smoking and I eventually want to quit," said Kelly Screeton, a 16 year smoker.

Business owners, however, are split.

"I just don't like the government thinking for us all the time," Anderson said.

"If there's a statewide smoking ban, it'd be great. We'd all be on the same playing field, Hamilton said.

The bill still has to go through a full house committee, so there's still a bit of a battle but it already has people talking.

The Indiana House passed a similar bill last year, but it didn’t make it out of the Senate, and then later died during late-session negotiations.