New Orleans Smoking Ban Takes Effect for Bars, Restaurants, Parks

New Orleans' smoking ban went into effect Tuesday, making it illegal to puff away in bars, restaurants, casinos, and parks like Lafayette Square.

"People will be able to breathe fresh air, and it'll be a good thing overall," local Hannah Bourque told WDSU-TV. "But hopefully it doesn't hurt business." 

Smokers will still be able to light up in outdoor arenas and stadiums during concerts, festivals, and parades, as well as during Carnival events in the Convention Center. Cigar and hookah bars are also exempt from the ban, as long as they opened for business before Jan. 1, 2015.

Many are upset about the ban, saying that part of New Orleans' charm was its more permissive approach to public conduct.

"As other cities changed and we made no groans and moans, I thought we'd leave it alone," Glenn O'Berry, 66, a bartender at Kajun's Pub, told CBS News. "That's what made me fall in love with the city. That freedom."

Jazz singer John Boutte, who quit smoking 14 years ago, was in favor of the ban, saying it will be good for the health of workers.

"This is my instrument, and I need to be able to breathe when I'm trying to sing," he said.

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