If all goes according to former Gov. Richard Codey's plan, Friday, April 14, will be the last day you can see someone lighting up at a bar or restaurant anywhere in New Jersey.
On April 15, 90 days after Mr. Codey's January 15 signing of the bill, that image is expected to go up in smoke as the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act takes effect. The law also disallows smoking at indoor public places, workplaces, and elementary and secondary school grounds.
Sponsored by Asm. Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton Borough) and Asm. Louis Manzo (D-Jersey City), the law has been both praised and condemned, depending on whom you ask, but locally, there appears to be a general acceptance of the rule.
"New York City passed the law, and it's not like the city went to chaos," said a Triumph Brewing Co. patron, who only wanted to be identified as Tim C. A non-smoker himself, Tim said he looked forward to not going home "smelling awful" after he goes out.
"I personally look forward to that," he said. "And, you know, for other smokers, sorry."
Will Ostergaard, another Triumph patron, said the law should be taken in stride, particularly when looking at how other cities have handled similar situations.
"If they are trying to deter smokers by raising the price or banning it at bars, I think it presents a cleaner image that's definitely a positive aspect of the law," he said.
For some locals, the ban is five years in the making. In 2000, the Princeton Regional Health Commission made an unsuccessful bid to ban smoking in public spaces town-wide. That initiative was subsequently challenged by several bars and restaurants, and was ultimately thrown out by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg.
Judge Feinberg ruled that only the state Legislature could make such designations.
As such, Princeton Township Deputy Mayor Bernie Miller, a proponent of the ban, said Mr. Codey's signature was "long overdue.
"It's worked in New York, it's worked elsewhere and I'm really pleased to see that Princeton has led the way in New Jersey," he said.
But others are not so pleased.
"I think it's taking away the rights of the people, including the rights of business owners who want to allow smoking in their restaurant or bar," said Jonathan Fabio, an Ivy Inn patron who has worked with restaurants and bars as a liquor distributor. Mr. Fabio also questioned a controversial component of the law that allows casinos and cigar lounges to continue to allow smoking.
That said, Mr. Fabio did not foresee the ban siphoning cash flow from the business owner. "It didn't have any negative impact in New York."
Kenny Huntley, also at the Ivy, said the ban will take away from the bar and restaurant culture: "How are you going to have any fun at the martini bar or at the jazz bar if you're a smoker?"
Andrew Koontz, a member of Borough Council, echoed Mr. Fabio's beliefs that the ban will not harm sales of local restaurants, saying that he was "hopeful" that customer flow in Princeton was such that concerns should be quelled: "I think it's going to work out for the better of those business owners. Now, you can go to a saloon and not come home smelling like one."