We didn’t see this one coming…
The Ohio Department of Health doesn’t have the manpower to play smoking police. There are no undercover inspectors, and the agency only acts after it fields a complaint on its toll-free snitch line, says spokesman Kristopher Weiss.
Even then, the offending bar will merely receive a “Notice of Complaint,” along with a promise that an inspector may show up within the next 30 days. If the bar fails to hide all the ashtrays in a cardboard box in the basement — God help them, because here comes a written warning.
It’s not until the second violation that a bar can be fined $200. The fines escalate with each violation, up to $2,500 for a fifth offense.
So far, the agency’s snitch line has fielded roughly 25,000 complaints since the law was enacted last May. But since ODH must enforce the ban at a quarter-million businesses, only 310 have received first-tier fines. Just two have been hit with the $2,500 fine.
It’s nice to know that people believe that our respective government officials have nothing better to do than dig around for ashtrays behind the bars of local watering holes.
Brilliant.
Also of note…the author references the “snitch line”. Since when did the word “snitch” become something endearing?
Filed under: Ban Damage, Defiance, Ohio Ban News
