When and where will NC smoking ban now be in force in bars, restaurants?”
If you want to light up while sipping coffee at a diner or a beer at the neighborhood bar, you’ll now have to take it outside in North Carolina. A new law took effect at midnight prohibiting smoking inside essentially all restaurants and bars in the state. The Legislature and Gov. Beverly Perdue agreed to the ban back in May. Enforcement began early Saturday. Noncompliant customers can face $50 fines while repeat business offenders can be penalized $200 a day. There’s a toll-free number and Web site to log complaints. Health advocates say the ban will protect workers and patron from secondhand smoke inside pubs and eateries. The passage is another smoking restriction in a state that remains the nation’s leading tobacco grower.
