Any smoker will tell you that having a drink in a local bar without having a cigarette is unheard of.

But should the Government pass a law in Bermuda which makes smoking in enclosed areas like bars illegal, this is exactly what smokers will be faced with.hit the streets and local bars of Hamilton last week to find out how patrons felt about the impending doom of the bar-smoker.

MR Onions owners Lori and Phillip Talbot said it would happen eventually and felt that the law would affect their business for the worse.

Lori, who is a non-smoker, said the restaurant at MR Onions is a non-smoking area anyway, while the bar was where patrons could smoke, including Phillip, who is a smoker.

They said it would affect business in that smokers would perhaps not come to MR Onions because they don?t have an open area where smoking would be permitted.

She added that nine of their 18 employees smoked and should they have to go outside every time they wanted to ?light up?, they would lose valuable time serving customers.

The Talbots said the choice should be left up to individual establishments.

?We?d just keep it the way it is,? they agreed.

Meanwhile Shaun Tucker, who was enjoying a lunchtime cigarette and a beer, said smoking in a bar was just the done thing. He said he did not mind restaurants being non-smoking because he did not want to breathe in smoke when he was trying to enjoy his meal, but he believed there should be a choice in a bar.

?If there?s a law that you can?t smoke in a bar I?ll stay home and drink and smoke. It will be cheaper anyway,? he said, adding that the choice should be yours to make ? not made for you.

Tessa Webb, who is a smoker, said people who did not want to be around smokers should not go to bars.

24-year-old Tammy said to totally ban smoking was ridiculous and smoking and non-smoking sections made more sense.

?I don?t want to eat when someone is smoking so I don?t mind restaurants being non-smoking,? she added.

Jah Simmons, 24, was all for banning smoking from bars.

?I work in a bar and the smoke stinks up my clothes,? he said.

He added he would prefer to work in a bar where there was no smoking. ?I won?t miss it!? he said.

The owner of Casey?s, Gladwin (Roots) Phillips said he did not think the smoking ban inside bars would affect his business, but he was not for it either, even though he did not smoke. ?It?s a business move,? he said.

He said if it did happen, he would simply open up the rear of the bar so that patrons could sit on the patio outside and enjoy their drinks and smoke.

?About 80 percent of my patrons are smokers,? he said.

Mr. Phillips added that even non-smokers, who supported the move to ban smoking, still came into the bar and never complained.

One of the patrons, commented that he would not come back to Casey?s if he was not allowed to smoke inside, while another, who also did not want to be identified said he wished they had banned smoking indoors years ago.

?I don?t think it will do any harm to the businesses because so many non-smokers would finally be able to come to bars and enjoy themselves without worrying about getting sick,? he said.

Melanie Cox, a non-smoker, agreed, adding that it was better to smoke outside anyway since second-hand smoking caused so much harm.