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Derby Beats Ban by a Nose
Posted: Friday, October 13, 2006
By Michael Moretti
It was close, but next year's Kentucky Derby attendees will still be able to light up a premium cigar when racing begins. Unfortunately, nearby bars and restaurants were not as lucky.
After years of consideration, Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky, home of Churchill Downs, where the famed Kentucky Derby is held annually, passed a comprehensive smoking ban on Thursday. If signed by the mayor, the law is scheduled to take effect on July 1. It will prohibit smoking everywhere in the city including bars, restaurants and bowling alleys. The only exemptions apply to the Downs racetrack and buildings housing tobacco manufacturers and/or wholesalers.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper, Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs, issued a written statement after the legislation passed, which read:
"We appreciate Metro Council's careful deliberation on this issue and the fact that council members realize the competitive disadvantage our historic racetrack would face if smoking was prohibited in all areas of our facility."
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