HOUGHTON -- In the past month, the western U.P. Health Department released a statement saying the Michigan Smoke-Free Air Act hasn't hurt local businesses, but some of those businesses disagree.
Kent Wilkinson, General Manager of the Douglas House Saloon in Houghton, says the ban has, without a doubt, hurt business.
Wilkinson says it wasn't so bad during the summer months, but he noticed a big drop-off in business toward the end of fall when it presumably got too cold for smokers to go outside.
"It isn't so much the students as it is the locals," said Wilkinson. "They used to come out and sit for a couple hours. Now they come out and have a drink or two and then they leave and drink at home."
Wilkinson says the ban has hurt his Keno sales, too.
He did note a few customers have told him they liked the smoke-free environment, but that hasn't helped his bottom line.
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