Effect Of Smoke-free Laws Research Articles

Effects of Smoke-Free Laws on Alcohol-Related Car Crashes in California and New York: Time Series Analyses From 1982 to 2008

We examined effects of New York and California's statewide smoke-free restaurant and bar policies on alcohol-related car crash fatalities. We used an interrupted time-series design from 1982 to 2008, with 312 monthly observations, to examine the effect of each state's law on single-vehicle-nighttime crashes and crashes involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams per deciliter or greater. Implementation of New York and California's statewide smoke-free policies was not associated with alcohol-related car crash fatalities. Additionally, analyses showed no effect of New York's smoke-free policy on alcohol-related car crash fatalities in communities along the Pennsylvania-New York border. Statewide smoke-free restaurant and bar laws do not appear to affect rates of alcohol-related car crashes.

Effect of smoke-free legislation on Ticino gastronomy revenue

To provide evidence on the effects of smoke-free laws on gastronomy revenue in a European setting based on objective data. Damage to gastronomy revenue is a widely used argument against smoke-free legislation. Gastronomy revenue in Ticino is compared with the rest of Switzerland before and after Ticino banned smoking from gastronomy in April 2007, being the first (and at the time of the study only) Swiss canton to do that. The study uses breakdowns by cantons of taxable revenue of gastronomy branches and retailers (for comparison) provided by the Swiss tax authorities for the years 2005-2008. Revenues of restaurants and bars were not damaged by the Ticino smoke-free law. Decreases in Ticino happened before the smoke-free law came into effect. Evidence for night clubs is inconclusive. The absence of detrimental effects on restaurant and bar revenue corroborates the gist of research on the subject from other countries. The argument that the decline of bar and restaurant sales prior to the implementation of the ban might have occurred in anticipation of the new regulation is not considered tenable.

Effect of Smoke-Free Laws on Bar Value and Profits

The tobacco industry has claimed that smoke-free bar laws caused bar revenues to decline by 30%. After we controlled for economic variables, we found that bars located in areas with smoke-free laws sold for prices that were comparable to prices for similar bars in areas with no smoking restrictions. Other studies have reported that sales did not decline, and we also found that neither price nor sales declined. Therefore, bar owners' concerns that smoke-free laws will reduce the value of their bars are unfounded.

No Smoking at the Slot Machines: The Effects of Smoke-Free Laws on Gaming Revenues

Revenues at three gaming facilities in Delaware declined significantly after the implementation of a smoke-free law. The relative magnitudes of losses at the three facilities correspond to the availability of alternative gaming venues in the region, suggesting consumer flight. Efforts to mitigate revenue losses engendered additional costs, further reducing operating profits.