History: 15 Years Smoke Free

“S’mass grounds out butts” announced The Aspen Times Feb. 20, 2001. May 1st will celebrate 15 years of smoke free public spaces and bars in Snowmass. According to the article, the vote was unanimous to pass an ordinance banning smoking in all enclosed public spaces, including restaurants and bars, although a few people did oppose it. “Ann Wilkinson, the director of international sales and marketing for the Aspen Skiing Co., warned the council about the potential for alienating international visitors, who now account for 20 percent of the Skico’s business. ‘A lot of those people are still smokers,’ she said…..Mayor Manchester said he didn’t doubt that some smokers might choose to visit another resort, but he also said that since 75 percent of people are non-smokers, more people might now choose to visit Snowmass Village. He said he could imagine a visitor saying ‘I can go to a bar without sucking smoke in Snowmass Village? Let’s go!’ Bob Purvis, the third member of the Town Council to support the ban, said in terms of the economic question, ‘This really is a trade-off,’ but that he would ‘err on the side of public health.’” Snowmass and Aspen were some of the first cities in Colorado to ban smoking in indoor public areas before a statewide ban was enacted in 2006.