Businesses could be forced to go smoke free

A group named Smoke Free Idaho presents Pocatello City Council with its views on having all businesses in Pocatello smoke-free.

Bars, vaping shops and hooka lounges would mostly be impacted by the ordinance.

A bar manager in Pocatello is concerned that her business will slow down if it becomes non-smoking.

“Two businesses, bars that went non-smoking, and when that happened, which is their choice, we got quite a boost in clientele. They keep coming back because they are smokers and they don’t want to go home and smoke in their garages,” said Brandi Samualson, manager of Five Corners Bar.

One coordinator from Smoke Free Idaho said the employees have the right to breathe clean air.

“I’m just suggesting that they step outdoors where the smoke is in the, all the air, and not in enclosed space, so it’s not about telling you not to smoke, it’s just asking you for the courtesy to step outside and smoke there,” said Brenda Pollard, the grassroots coordinator for Smoke Free Idaho.

No decision or date has been set for a vote.