Bourbon and tobacco are two products practically synonymous with Kentucky. Pairing them indoors within the state's borders, however, is surprisingly difficult. Forty-four cities and counties throughout the state have implemented comprehensive indoor smoking bans. But a whiff of change is in the air: Last year, Louisville passed an exemption for cigar bars, and a new bill in the legislature could legalize them statewide.
Louisville's move is a rare example of government liberalizing smoking laws. Beginning in the 1970s and '80s with bans on smoking in workplaces and airplanes, such restrictions have tended to operate with a ratchet effect, tightening over time while almost never ceding ground back to smokers. In the 21st century, those bans expanded to include parks, sidewalks, beaches, golf courses, apartment balconies, public housing, and more, often without carve-outs for businesses catering to smokers.
