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Council votes to rescind parishwide smoke‑free ordinance after heated public hearing
Summary
After extended public testimony from bar and casino owners, workers and health advocates, the Lafourche Parish Council voted 6–2 to rescind Ordinance No. 7091, reversing a smoke‑free policy for bars and casinos that the council had adopted three months earlier.
The Lafourche Parish Council voted April 28 to rescind Ordinance No. 7091, which had restricted indoor smoking in bars and gaming facilities, after an hours‑long public hearing that drew dozens of speakers on both sides.
Supporters of keeping the ordinance — including the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society — urged the council to maintain the smoke‑free rule to protect workers and patrons from secondhand smoke. Eric Winesle, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Louisiana, told the council that “smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States” and that comprehensive smoke‑free workplace policies are the only way to prevent secondhand‑smoke exposure at work.
Business owners, casino and bar operators and many employees warned the council that keeping the ban in place would cost customers and revenue and harm employees’ paychecks. Chad Cowi, who owns truck‑stop casinos in the parish, said earlier local examples showed substantial declines in gaming revenue after smoking bans and argued that a 15% decline in gaming would equate to roughly $435,000 in parish tax revenue based on 2025 figures he cited.
Council debate centered on competing priorities: public‑health research showing risks from secondhand smoke and business owners’ warnings about lost revenues and jobs. Several council members said they had received strong constituent feedback opposing the ordinance after it was passed earlier this year. After discussion, the council voted to rescind the ordinance; the chair announced the motion passed by recorded vote (six yays, two nays).
What happens next: Rescission restores the status quo ante for bars and gaming facilities — the parish will no longer enforce the smoke‑free restrictions adopted in January. Council members and staff said enforcement questions will fall to local law‑enforcement and that businesses may continue to set their own indoor smoking policies. The council did not adopt a replacement policy at the meeting.
The vote follows extensive public comment delivered in the council chambers by business owners, bartenders, public‑health advocates, and community members. Several speakers emphasized employees’ economic vulnerability if customers change their habits, while health advocates stressed worker protections and cited scientific findings that no level of secondhand smoke exposure is safe.
The council’s action to rescind the ordinance is a legislative decision the parish adopted by motion and recorded vote. The rescission took effect per the council’s normal administrative process; no additional public hearings on the issue were scheduled at the meeting.
