Smoking ban not related to job losses in bars, restaurants: Study

Washington, June 30 (ANI): Banning smoking in restaurants and pubs has no link to job losses at bars - in fact, it may have boosted employment, according to new research.

In both Minneapolis and St. Paul, the policies were associated with an increase of at least 3 percent in employment at restaurants over a 2 1/2-year span following adoption of a local clean indoor air policy.

While opponents argued against the smoking ban predicting large revenue losses, worker layoffs and business closures in the hospitality industry, opponents fought for a healthful workplace atmosphere for workers and patrons.

The study examined a five-year period between January 2003 and December 2007 to monitor employment levels in bars and restaurants before and after enactment of the smoking bans in these two cities

"These clean indoor air policies are designed to protect workers from exposure to second-hand smoke," said Elizabeth Klein, assistant professor of health behavior and health promotion at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.

"These findings underscore that nothing economically catastrophic happened for bars or restaurants in the Twin Cities as a result of banning smoking in these environments," she added.

The research is published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Public Health Management Practice. (ANI)