Tobacco.org

Adverse Economic Effects of Smoking Bans Discounted  

Banning smoking in bars and restaurants in the Twin Cities did not appear to have a negative effect on the businesses, researchers found.

In fact, after clean indoor air policies went into effect in Minneapolis and St. Paul, there was a significant 3% to 4% increase in restaurant employment in both cities (P<0.05), according to Elizabeth Klein, PhD, MPH, of Ohio State University College of Public Health in Columbus, and colleagues.

There was also a significant 5% to 6% increase in bar employment in Minneapolis (P<0.05), but no increase -- or decrease -- in St. Paul, the researchers reported in the July/August issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

"The clean indoor air policies continue to yield the best protection against workplace exposure to environmental tobacco smoke for bar and restaurant employees," wrote the authors, one of whom is a vice president for ClearWay Minnesota, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in that state.

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