RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Supreme Court of Virginia has ruled that a Blacksburg hookah lounge is not exempt from the state's restaurant smoking ban.
In a Thursday ruling, the court said the She-Sha Cafe and Hookah Lounge is subject to the ban because it's not exclusively a retail tobacco store. The lounge also serves food.
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The state law regulating indoor public smoking covers restaurants but specifically exempts tobacco retailers.
She-Sha had contended that most of its revenue comes from customers' use of hookahs - tall water pipes that are used to smoke flavored tobacco.
The decision reverses a December 2013 Virginia Court of Appeals' ruling that She-Sha is not subject to the ban.
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