CASCADE PARK, Wash. - A Washington state Senate committee held a public hearing last week on a bill that would allow customers of retail tobacco shops and cigar lounges to light up on the premises, the Columbian reports. The state has had an indoor smoking ban at all establishments since 2005.

The measure would let 100 cigar lounges and 500 retail tobacco stores to request an endorsement for on-site cigar and pipe smoking. Cigarette smoking would continue to be prohibited. The catch is that under the new law, those establishments would need to have a separate ventilation and exhaust system.

An application for a cigar lounge endorsement would cost $15,000, while one for a tobacco store would cost $5,000.

For tobacco merchant John Paul, those costs plus the ventilation requirements make seeking an endorsement cost-prohibitive. So his staff has gotten creative when it comes to describing his wares to customers who need assistance in choosing a cigar. "We can ask how frequently they smoke; if it??s isn??t often, we can recommend a mild cigar," he said.

The Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee has until Monday to move on the bill.