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Join the Group. This fight is not over yet.

Council is voting again on May the 26th.

Knoxville City Council, along with advocacy groups like the Knoxville Music Coalition, is pushing a proposal to ban smoking and vaping inside bars.

This policy may sound simple, but it has real consequences.

It removes the ability for business owners to decide how they operate their own establishments. It takes away the right of patrons to choose the environments they enter. And for many local bars already struggling with rising costs, it adds another layer of pressure that could hurt their bottom line.

Knoxville has become significantly more expensive in recent years. Housing costs are up. The cost of living continues to rise. Meanwhile, wages have not kept pace. For many residents, the small freedoms and routines that help us unwind matter now more than ever.

Bars are voluntary spaces. No one is forced to enter a smoking establishment. People already have the freedom to choose where they go based on their preferences. This proposal removes that balance and replaces it with a one-size-fits-all rule.

We, the undersigned residents and patrons of Knoxville, oppose this proposed smoking and vaping ban. We support the rights of local business owners to decide how they operate, and the rights of individuals to choose the environments they enter.

We respectfully urge city officials to reject this proposal and preserve choice, balance, and personal freedom in Knoxville.