Beginning tomorrow, smoking will no longer be permitted at bars in Lafayette, as a ban approved by the city-parish council goes into effect.

CEO of the Smoking Cessation Trust Mike Rogers calls the new ordinance a victory. He hopes this will help more people kick their smoking habit.

“Every time one of these laws gets enacted, it not only affects the air that people are breathing in bars and clubs, but it also encourages people to go out and try to quit for real,” Rogers said.

Opponents to the ban call it government overreach. But Rogers says as more and more smoking bans are enacted around the state, they’re seeing more smokers put down their packs. He says as people run out of places to smoke, the Smoking Cessation Trust will be there to help them stop smoking for good.

“Maybe the ones that aren’t so committed to smoking are the ones who quit along the way, but it’s getting harder and harder for smokers to smoke. At some point they reach a point where they just call it quits,” Rogers said.

Lafayette is the 11th Louisiana city to ban smoking in bars. But not everyone is thrilled about the new rule, as bar owners in particular say it could be bad for business. Rogers says it’s more about health. He hopes as smokers run out of places to light up, they’ll decide to quit.

“It encourages people to stop smoking for real instead of just retreat to their homes or to whatever place they might still have for smoking purposes,” Rogers said.

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