Expert: Smoke-free laws good for health, business

The Lincoln Tunnel, which connects Weehawken, N.J., with downtown Manhattan in New York, is often cited as the ultimate in unhealthy air because of its tendency to traps vehicle exhaust and other pollutants.

Dr. Michael Cummings, senior research scientist and chairman of the department of health behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., said, before the city and then the entire state went smoke free in 2003, pollution levels were tested inside a typical bar in the city and found to be 10 times as bad as the Lincoln Tunnel.

Still, some people insist the choice of whether to be smoke-free should be left to business owners. Cummings said it's becoming more apparent all the time that smoking in restaurants and bars will soon go the way of the spittoon.

"Businesses worry about it," Cummings said of the impact of smoking bans. "In every community we've ever done studies, we've heard the same concerns. And in every study where we look at objective data, like sales from restaurants and bars and at employment, there is no evidence the laws do any harm."

Last month, a six-member committee met for the first time in Valparaiso to consider whether the city should regulate smoking in public places. Among the topics addressed at the initial meeting was whether business would be affected.

Monroe County, N.Y., has had smoking restrictions for almost 20 years, long before the state went smoke free, and John Ricci, spokesman for the county's Health Department, said, in the beginning, there was a steep learning and adjustment curve. Over time, the sentiment has shifted steadily toward acceptance and support of a smoke-free environment.

"Intuitively you would think it would hurt restaurants, but that has not been borne out," Ricci said. "Our adult smoking rate is about 18 percent. Critics of the law make the case those people will not go out any more. That did not turn out to be the case. I can't point to a single business that went under because of the law, and there is some evidence that once the adjustment period occurs, there could be an uptick."

The American Cancer Society looked at 22 studies on the impact of smoking laws from 12 states in various parts of the country in different economic cycles. The studies consistently show that smoke-free laws do not hurt the hospitality industry and, in fact, might be good for it. Ricci said it makes sense.

"A portion of the majority who don't smoke might go to places they wouldn't go to in the past," he said. "A certain portion of the smokers will be put out with the laws, but even a portion of the people who smoke come to be accepting of the laws. A lot of them want to quit, and the laws sort of force their hand."

Cummings said the case of Helena, Mont., showed the impact of smoke-free laws on community health. The city adopted a smoke-free law, then repealed it a year later. During the year it was in effect, heart attacks declined by 40 percent. When it was repealed, heart attacks returned to the previous levels. Similar results occurred in Pueblo, Colo.

"A lot of people don't think about the acute effect occurring that soon," Cummings said. "If you are predisposed to having a heart attack, and a lot of people are, and if you are in a smoky bar or you work in one, you could be in danger of having one."

After Ireland went smoke free in 2004, a study was done comparing the behavior of smokers in that country to those in Great Britain, which is not smoke free. The study found smokers didn't like the ban, but got used to it within a year. Instead of increasing smoking at home, it motivated more people to at least try to quit.

"In the long run, I think it will have a big effect on the kids," Cummings said. "There are 13 countries with such bans, and the trend is not reversing itself. People got used to it on airlines, and now they would have a fit if someone lit up in that little tube."

When New York City went smoke free, the mayor asked Cummings and the RPCI to help with a program offering people a free nicotine patch to anyone wanting to quit smoking. Cummings said the institute received 450,000 calls requesting the patches within three days.

"You need a population that's ready and willing," he said. "If you did a survey, you would find huge support for it. Most smokers would not support it, but over time they come to appreciate the laws."