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New casino will allow indoor smoking
John Kadlec
Feb. 6, 2026 3:39 pm
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What are our legislators thinking when they won’t change the law allowing smoking in the new Cedar Rapids casino? Iowa is number two in the nation for new cancer cases. It's a fact that restaurant and bar business income went up when smoking was banned in those establishments years ago.
We'll soon have a new casino that will smell like an ashtray right away. If and when the policy changes, it will require a lot of money to replace the carpet, and repaint the whole place. I think banning smoking in the new casino would save lives, give Cedar Rapids an advantage in attracting people to the casino, and save a huge remodeling bill later.
John Kadlec
Cedar Rapids
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