Fraternal organizations that had been exempt from the county’s smoking ban have had two choices since a statewide law went into effect that forbids even members of private clubs from lighting up inside.
‘‘They can either go outside, or they can quit smoking,” said Eric Hensal, governor of the Silver Spring Moose Lodge.
Hensal’s group has begun the task of informing its members, about half of whom are longtime smokers, about county programs that can help them quit.
On Thursday night, about a dozen members of the Wayne Avenue lodge listened to a presentation from Meaghan McHugh, a smoking cessation counselor with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.
McHugh had several of the members test the levels of carbon monoxide in their bloodstreams, and passed out literature on free nicotine patches or where smokers could find group sessions or one-on-one counseling on how to quit smoking.
Beforehand, McHugh said most smokers are age 50 or older, and consider dropping the habit once they see the effects of smoking on their health or on the health of their loved ones. Of the 300 local members at the Silver Spring Moose Lodge, about half smoke, said Frank Courtney, the lodge’s administrator.
‘‘The younger members actually really like having the rooms smoke-free. ... Some of them have even come back since the ban,” Courtney said. ‘‘As a smoker, I know most smokers want to quit. ... It’s nice to hear the information.”
Montgomery County, the first jurisdiction in Maryland to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in 2003, had exempted fraternal organizations as part of its legislation. Prince George’s and Howard counties followed with similar bans, until Maryland lawmakers passed a statewide ban last year that included indoor bars, restaurants and private clubs.
The state law, which requires smokers to be at least 50 feet away from those establishments before having a cigarette, went into effect Feb. 1.
Tony Ragazzo, the manager of the Cissel-Saxon American Legion Post 41 in Silver Spring, said bar sales were already down about 20 percent since the state ban went into effect.
‘‘The American Legions, and the VFWs, the majority of those guys smoke,” Ragazzo said. ‘‘If they’re really hooked on their cigarettes, they’re less apt to come in as often.”
Robert Banes, quartermaster at VFW Post 2562 in Wheaton, said while it was still too early to tell whether the group was going to be affected financially by the ban, members began complaining the first day the ban went into effect.
‘‘These are all veterans. They don’t like anybody interfering with them,” Banes said.
Michael McFadden, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for the Citizens Freedom Alliance Inc., which includes the Internet-based group ‘‘The Smoker’s Club,” said fraternal organizations should have remained exempt based solely on the fact that outsiders rarely visit, and as private clubs, they should be able to operate as such.
James E. Mattingly, the commander of American Legion Post 268 in Wheaton, wrote to state legislators before the ban supporting that point. But as a non-smoker, he wrote the letter begrudgingly.
‘‘I think [smokers] really do know that it’s best for them. There was some moaning and groaning at first, but sometimes people have to be pushed into doing something that’s right,” Mattingly said.
Those who violate the ban could be fined between $100 and $1,000, with a written warning for first-time offenders. Organizations that can prove a financial hardship can apply for an exemption, but even those businesses would have to be smoke-free by 2011.
Hensal said organizations would have to lose money for six months before being considered for an exemption. The more creative answer was to make smoking cessation tools available to the members, he said.
Still, dissidents remain.
‘‘I don’t think it’s fair, and I don’t plan on quitting,” said Sue Stewart, a bartender at the Silver Spring Moose Lodge. ‘‘It’s just something I enjoy. ... Everybody’s complaining.”
Kicking the habit
Smokers who wish to quit smoking are eligible for free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges, for example) or therapy sessions at a number of locations throughout the county. For information and, call Meaghan McHugh at 240-777-3895. An 8 a.m. to midnight ‘‘Quitline,” manned by former smokers and tobacco treatment counselors, is available by calling 1-800-784-8669.
