Area medical professionals are pooling money to help market the fact that Mankato bars and restaurants will soon be smoke free. The strategy is a good one.
A number of local medical experts have been vocal about the health benefits of going smoke free. Now they are making a move to support those businesses that may, or may not, take an economic hit when the ban goes into effect July 1.
Business owners in town have been nervous about the move and felt singled out, arguing that government is micromanaging their businesses. Extra pressure was put on when the ban was in question and the Minnesota Medical Association threatened to remove Mankato from its list of possible sites for its convention and take its 300 to 400 doctors elsewhere.
So this attempt to help Mankato bars and restaurants gear up for a major change in how they do business is a welcome sight.
The Mankato Area Pharmacy Society has pledged $1,100, and organizers hoped that between $10,000 and $15,000 will be raised in the campaign. Other groups are in the process of deciding what their contributions will be to the ad campaign.
Of course, the effort to make the ban a positive thing and help out businesses isn't exactly a selfless gesture on the part of the groups. The ban will go in effect this summer but in November will be on the ballot when voters will determine whether to retain or rescind it. The health experts, of course, want to see the ban stick.
But whatever the motive, it makes sense to promote Mankato businesses as attractive destinations. And if all goes well, businesses will actually see more customers when July 1 rolls around.
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