Cigar Aficionado

Horse racing, which emphasizes the spectating experience perhaps more than the physical endeavor itself, is known for celebrating elegance and refinement, which naturally includes cigars. Each spring, the pinnacle of the sport takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the iconic Churchill Downs racetrack and the Kentucky Derby. Cigars are undoubtedly one of the defining features of this iconic sporting week, and while you can smoke at the outdoor track, you can’t smoke inside anywhere within the Louisville city limits. But a new bill recently introduced in the Kentucky General Assembly may soon change that. 

House Bill 211 would allow for the creation of new cigar bars in the state of Kentucky, including the city of Louisville. The qualifications for a cigar bar, according to the bill, would include:  

• the establishment have a retail liquor license
• at least 15 percent of its profits come from the sale of cigars, pipe tobacco and/or the rental of humidors
• only persons 21 years or older are permitted inside
• a notice is posted at entrances to indicate that smoke is present inside 
• only cigars and pipes are allowed to be smoked inside: vapes, cigarettes and any other forms of smoking are prohibited
• a smoke-free space provided for the delivery of supplies, mail, and other items

The bill also states that if the cigar bar shares a wall or a “common, enclosed air space with any other structure” the owners would have to implement measures to ensure smoke stays within the cigar bar and does not into the ading structure.

The bill (HB211), if ed, would overrule local authority specifically as it pertains to cigar bars. In Louisville, for example, this new legislation would supersede the Louisville Metro Smoke-Free Ordinance from 2008, which prohibits smoking indoors anywhere within the prescribed city limits. If it es, the bill would represent a notable exception in a commonwealth that prizes local authority, specifically with tobacco control.

Representative Chris Lewis, who introduced HB211, pointed out that the sole intention of the bill is to allow for the creation of new cigar bars, rather than repeal the smoke-free ordinances ed across the state by local jurisdictions. “This is not about having a cigar in a regular bar or a bowling alley or a restaurant,” Lewis said. “This will not allow that.” Rep. Lewis and his fellow sponsors of the bill made notable mention of Louisville and the Kentucky Derby itself when introducing HB211, pointing out that much business is often lost across the river to nearby Indiana for those looking to have a drink and a cigar while in town. 

The argument is certainly a prudent one. Derby week is the backbone of the city, generating essential tourism and revenue that fuel Louisville year-round. For an event that brings so much attention to Bourbon and cigars, it’s quite astounding you can’t enjoy the two together indoors in the city that encomes the hallowed grounds of Churchill Downs. 

HB211 ed a House vote 74-19 on February 18. The bill now moves to the Senate for further committee review and an eventual vote on the Senate floor.

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