The days of firing up a smoke while enjoying a beverage and listening to live music has come to an end in Lafayette, La., as on Tuesday night the Lafayette City-Parish Council approved a new smoking ban by a 7-2 vote.

The ban applies to bars, clubs and other public places that hadn’t previously prohibited smoking. such as casinos and gaming facilities, as well as expanded-service restaurants in the city of Lafayette and the unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish. It also includes a prohibition on the use of hookah, e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

Tobacco shops retain their exemption from the ban, though the definition of a tobacco business was updated to define it as a business entity where fifty percent or more of the its sales from the prior year were from tobacco products or accessories, or were the primary activity is to cater to persons who smoke tobacco products, such as a cigar bar.

The ordinance goes into effect upon signature of Mayor-President Joel Robideaux or after a period of 10 days of passage, whichever comes first, though the ordinance indicates that enforcement of the ban will not begin until Aug. 1.

A similar ban had been proposed in May 2015, though it was defeated by a 5-4 vote that came on the heels of a similar ban going into effect in New Orleans.

Lafayette is the fourth-largest city in Louisiana, with a 2015 population estimate of 127,567 residents, while Lafayette Parish is home to just over 240,000 residents. It is located about 130 miles west of New Orleans.

 

Avatar photo

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.