ENFORCEMENT?
One 7-11 chooses its own no-smoking rules
BY LEWIS WHITTEN

Community leaders in the heart of Las Vegas applauded their neighborhood 7-11 for relaxing their enforcement of the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, which bans smoking in certain public places, including restaurants, marketplaces and bars that serve food.

Since the ban went into effect Dec. 8 at the Maryland Parkway and Vegas Valley Drive 7-11, gamblers have been taking their smoke breaks outside the front door. Thanks to the passage of Question 5, which approved the Act, people now have to walk through a smoke gauntlet to buy a gallon of milk.

"The smoking really didn't bother me until the passage of Question 5," a neighbor said. "Now our children must walk past smokers to get in the store."

A convenience store that didn't receive many complaints about smokers was now receiving some. So it seems they've decided to relax enforcement of the law.

The store posted a notice on the front door to inform customers of the ban and removed ashtrays from the gaming area, but that's it. A 7-11 cashier explained that the business isn't going to approach smoking gamblers unless a customer complains.

"The owner doesn't mind if the gamblers smoke and the smoker is the one who gets in trouble," she explained. "So we're not going to make a big deal about smokers."

A co-worker stood by and seemed to be in agreement with the unwritten smoking policy.

This was well-received news, though, to regulars who enjoy gambling and smoking at their local convenience store, as well as those who have walked through the smoking gauntlets created by the new law.

Initially, under the new law, an arrest for smoking in public would bring criminal charges. A judge changed that after tavern owners challenged the law. Currently, smoking in public is considered a civil offense. Surprisingly, the Southern Nevada Health District, the government entity in charge of the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, still hasn't come up with a plan for enforcing the new law.

A walk through other neighborhood convenience stores tells a similar story; the ashtrays weren't removed, they just got bigger. Smokers are now ashing in slot machine coin-return trays, and in true gambler style, smoking their cigarettes right down to the butts. LW