January 9, 2008 - To some Chillicothe smokers, the citywide smoking ban in all public places and private clubs may be an inconvenience and unwanted hassle. But so far, the restaurant owners, large employers and organizations polled by the Constitution-Tribune say there have been no violations of the ban and little, if any, impact on their respective operations since the ordinance went into effect nine days ago. “We haven't had any negative comments at all (about the smoking ban),” said Richard Primm, general manager of Grand River Inn. However, he did note that two of the “No Smoking” signs posted on a couple of the hotel's main entrances were torn off by unknown persons since they were installed. “So, that's probably a negative reaction there,” he said. In fact, Primm said that, if anything, he has personally heard more positive comments than complaints about the ban. He noted that the hotel still has smoking sleeping rooms still available which is why the remaining signs posted in the hotel's entrances do say that smoking is allowed only in designated areas.

Police Chief Rick Knouse said his department has received no complaints about persons violating the smoking ban so far. He explained that his department will not actively seek out violators of the city's no smoking ordinance. However, he noted that the CPD must act on and respond to all complaints about individuals violating any and all of the city's ordinances. Officers, he said, must also respond to any crimes that occur in their presence, such as smoking in public places or private clubs within city limits. “Are we specifically out there doing cigarette patrol? No. We're still pretty busy with other things,” Knouse said.