--- description: At the stroke of midnight on April 22, it became illegal to smoke in bars, restaurants and casinos in New Orleans. title: New Orleans Smoking Ban Takes Effect image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb260902297a24d9b/6987ec4be20a8792c2a88ff7/new-orleans-smoking.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Public Health](/tag/public-health/) ## Public Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # New Orleans Smoking Ban Takes Effect ## Video: Up in Smoke: The Rise and Fall of Big Tobacco [Watch (HLS stream): Up in Smoke: The Rise and Fall of Big Tobacco](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WPuXPUG8.m3u8) (1:37)  _Published 2014-07-16. "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette" is just one of the phrases we don't hear anymore - here's a quick look at America's complicated relationship with the addictive habit._  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 22, 2015 12:31 PM CUT  Judy Hill, owner of the Ooh Poo Pah Doo Bar in New Orleans, enjoys a smoke just days before the new city smoking ordinance on April 17, 2015. Judy Hill, owner of the Ooh Poo Pah Doo Bar in New Orleans, enjoys a smoke just days before the new city smoking ordinance on April 17, 2015.David Grunfield—The Times-Picayune/Landov  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 22, 2015 12:31 PM CUT At the stroke of midnight on April 22, it became illegal to smoke in bars, restaurants and casinos in New Orleans. Smoking is now also prohibited in fairgrounds and within 5 feet of Lafayette Square, as well as in outdoor sports stadiums, except during concerts, festivals and parades, [WDSU News reports](http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/smoking-ban-goes-into-effect-in-new-orleans/32502054 "undefined"). “People will be able to breathe fresh air, and it’ll be a good thing overall,” Hannah Bourque, who works on Bourbon Street, told WDSU. But while many cheer the public health benefits of the ban, not all small business owners in the city are thrilled. “It’s that overall bohemian kind of free spirit that we have in New Orleans that makes it so unique, and it’s why people love it,” Shelly Waguespack, owner of Pat O’Briens, [told the New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/us/new-orleans-smoking-ban.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimes&%5Fr=1 "undefined"). She is one of the businesses joining with Harrah’s, the city’s casino, to sue over the ban. The New Orleans city council [unanimously passed the ban](http://time.com/3679515/new-orleans-smoking-ban/ "undefined") in January. The city was one of the last in the U.S. to allow smoking in bars and restaurants, and decided on the new rules for the safety of restaurant staff and performers. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3831105/new-orleans-smoking-ban-takes-effect/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3831105/new-orleans-smoking-ban-takes-effect/"},"headline":"New Orleans Smoking Ban Takes Effect","datePublished":"2015-04-22T12:31:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T06:34:43.428Z","description":"You can no longer smoke in bars, restaurants or casinos","url":"https://time.com/3831105/new-orleans-smoking-ban-takes-effect/","keywords":["Public Health","Smoking","new orleans"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb260902297a24d9b/6987ec4be20a8792c2a88ff7/new-orleans-smoking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb260902297a24d9b/6987ec4be20a8792c2a88ff7/new-orleans-smoking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIMES-PICAYUNE","caption":"Judy Hill, owner of the Ooh Poo Pah Doo Bar in New Orleans, enjoys a smoke just days before the new city smoking ordinance on April 17, 2015.","creditText":"David Grunfield—The Times-Picayune/Landov","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3831105/new-orleans-smoking-ban-takes-effect/","name":"New Orleans Smoking Ban Takes Effect"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Up in Smoke: The Rise and Fall of Big Tobacco","description":"\"More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette\" is just one of the phrases we don't hear anymore - here's a quick look at America's complicated relationship with the addictive habit.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WPuXPUG8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-07-16T14:34:43.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WPuXPUG8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3831105/new-orleans-smoking-ban-takes-effect/","duration":"PT1M37S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3831105/new-orleans-smoking-ban-takes-effect/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```