The Halfway House

[AKvetch]

Susie, you must be saving a fortune in smokes...

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New Yorkers Charged to Check Smokes at Cloakroom

Fri May 9, 9:25 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Getting frisked for handguns has been commonplace at New York nightclubs for years, but these days some doormen have started patting down patrons for a new menace -- a pack of cigarettes.

Smokers here have been feeling more oppressed lately after Mayor Michael Bloomberg, having already jacked up the average price of a pack to about $7, upped his battle against the weed by banning smoking in all bars and restaurants on March 30.

Now at least one nightclub -- wary of the hefty fines proprietors must pay if patrons are found smoking -- has begun frisking patrons for cigarettes, the New York Post reported on Thursday.

And, adding insult to injury, the tabloid said Manhattan's Cheetah nightclub is demanding patrons check their cigarette packs at the cloakroom at a cost of $1.

'They don't trust smokers,' one observer told the newspaper. 'The management figures that once (customers) get inside and they have a drink or two, they'll light up. So now every time you want to go outside for a smoke, you have to pay a dollar.'

Since 1995 smoking has been banned in city restaurants with more than 35 seats. But smaller eateries, pubs with separate bar areas and stand-alone bars were exempt -- until the new law took effect.

The law, initiated by former smoker Bloomberg, is similar to California's anti-smoking statute and is one of the stiffest in America. It subjects owners to fines of between $200 and $400 for a first offense and $500 to $1,000 for a second offense. The licenses of repeat offenders can be revoked.