PASADENA, CA, Apr 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
Anto Kamarian has owned Cigars by Chivas in Old Pasadena since 1995 when he
gave up his lucrative practice in order to devote all of his time to his
true passion -- premium cigars. Even when the city of Pasadena passed its
smoking ban in 2002, Kamarian was willing to cooperate. Now, he believes the
city council is going too far.
"Enough is enough," said Kamarian when he was told that, on Monday, April 7,
the Pasadena city council was expected to begin discussing and possibly vote on
an
amendment to the city code that would prohibit smoking in a wide range of
additional locations including within 20 feet of a business entrance or exit.
"That's going to kill business for restaurants that have outdoor eating
areas
for smokers," says Kamarian. "People from cities like Beverly Hills, Burbank,
Calabasas and elsewhere come to our city's restaurants so they can enjoy a
fine cigar, pipe or cigarette after their meals in the outdoor areas that many
of
them provide."
Kamarian plans to testify at Monday's council meeting and, if necessary,
take legal
action to block the amendment or at least slow down its hasty path to passage.
"If the amendment is based on alleged health issues, what adequate
evidenceexists regarding the effects of smoking in outdoor areas? Even the
SurgeonGeneral's report says there is no conclusive evidence that says second
handsmoke is bad for you," he said.
"Have they done an economic impact study to determine what effect this
amendment will have on the businesses in Pasadena? Tourists and others from
surrounding communities currently flock to Pasadena because we offer smoking
options that they are not able to enjoy elsewhere. Take that away, and
businesses will suffer, including mine," he said.
"Then, most importantly, there is the issue of civil liberties and our
constitutional right to sell and use legal products in private and public
places, especially at our respective businesses. Business owners should
befree to choose whether or not to ban smoking on their premises and it should
be up to employees and customers to decide whether or not to work there or
patronize them. If public health issues were involved, you can bet that
federal regulatory agencies like OSHA would be involved, but they are not.
Why? Because the so-called data is flat-out bogus," Kamarian said.
Immigrating to the United States from Beirut, Lebanon in 1975, Kamarian
attended
Boston University where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics
and then came to California and attended the University of West Los Angeles
where he got his law degree.
"I love this country because of its freedoms. None of us -- whether we
aresmokers or non-smokers -- have the right to abuse the freedoms of others.
That is
what I will tell the city council on Monday," said Kamarian.
Contact:
Tony Tortorici
678/493-0313
Email Contact
www.ipcpr.org
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