Nevada Taverns Refuse to Obey Nevada Smoking ban

Las Vegas Sun reports on the libertarian streak in Nevada:

Two years ago — when the economy was humming along fine and nobody was getting hepatitis C from a colonoscopy ­— Nevada’s proposed indoor smoking ban was front-page news.

The measure, passed by voters statewide, took effect in early 2007. But drive around town and it’s still easy to find a place to smoke cigarettes.

Dozens of establishments across the Las Vegas Valley continue to ignore the ban, known as the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act. Among other places, the ban prohibits smoking in bars and taverns that serve food.

Over the past 18 months, 4,022 complaints have been made to the Southern Nevada Health District.

And how many resulted in citations?

Nil. None. Zero.

It’s tough to blame the bar owners because nobody has ever had to pay the $100 fine for smoking a cigarette indoors in Clark County. That’s partly because no court is accepting the citations. And so, for now, no one is issuing them.

The Health District is working with local justice courts, hoping they soon will accept the citations.

“There’s no place to have hearings,” said Stephen Minagil, an attorney for the Southern Nevada Health District. “We’re ready to write citations. We’re just waiting to hear how the justice court wants to handle them.”

You'll want to read the whole article.Freedom is alive in Nevada.