Lubbock, Texas Petitioned to Create Smoking Ban

An anti-smoking group is seeking an overhaul to the smoking ban in Lubbock, Texas, but they have already been met with vocal opposition from the city’s mayor, who says he will simply not endorse it.

On Thursday night, the West Texas Smoke Free Coalition gave a presentation to the Lubbock City Council as part of their push for a city-wide smoking ban that would prohibit smoking in all indoor workplaces. The group held a demonstration outside city hall prior to the meeting with eight people scheduled to speak to the council on the matter during the citizen comment period of the meeting.

The group is seeking to both protect people from secondhand smoke while creating a level landscape for all area businesses. The city currently has a partial smoking ban that allows for smoking in some bars and restaurants, and according to MyFoxLubbock.com the proposed changes would still allow smoking in outdoor areas such as patios, decks and outdoor smoking sections.

But Lubbock Mayor Glen Robertson made it clear he wouldn’t support the ordinance, saying that “I cannot vote for all out smoking ban in the City of Lubbock,” according to a report on KCBD.com, adding that “I’m going to fall on the side that the business and property owners need to make the decision if they want to allow smoking in their facility or not.”

The council has not announced plans to take up the request at a future meeting.

Lubbock is home to more than 236,000 residents as well as Texas Tech University. It is part of Lubbock County and is located just over 300 miles west of Dallas.

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 Major League Baseball, 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.