Michigan Bar Owners May Ban Lawmakers Over Smoking Ban

Bar and restaurant owners who are upset about Michigan's workplace smoking ban have dreamed up a ban of their own to fight back.

An organization called Protect Private Property Rights in Michigan claim  that roughly 500 bars statewide plan to ban state lawmakers from their establishments starting September 1st.

They say that the lawmaker ban is a way for them to draw attention to the harmful effects that the smoking ban has had on their businesses. Some bars say they have lost business because of the ban. Others say the ban is unfair because decisions about whether to allow smoking should be left to property owners.

Critics want lawmakers to revisit the issue of the smoking ban which took effect in May of 2010.