Jump to full article: Kansas City (MO) Star, 2008-03-31
Author: LYNN HORSLEY and RUSS PULLEY The Kansas City Star
Intro: Kansas City's April ballot proposal to prohibit smoking in bars and restaurants has prompted the same debate here as in virtually every other city that has weighed or approved such a ban:
Should public health trump business owners' rights?
Few dispute that long-term secondhand smoke exposure is harmful -- including for bar and restaurant employees. Advocates of the ban say smokers can simply step outside to indulge their habit, and everyone else benefits.
But Kansas City's restaurant and tavern owners say such policies put them at an unfair disadvantage and could devastate their business.
Academic studies show that some businesses have suffered losses, but the overall economic effect has been minimal.
A May 2006 report by University of Kansas researcher Michael H. Fox found a 4 to 11 percent reduction in revenues for neighborhood and sports bars in some communities, but not for restaurants.
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