LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 14, 2007) − Lexington's smoke-free law implemented in 2004 has not caused a negative economic impact in Lexington, a city located in the heart of a tobacco-producing state with higher- than-average smoking rates.
Restaurant and bar openings and closings and employment data were evaluated by researchers at the University of Kentucky's Gatton College of Business and Economics and the UK College of Nursing. The data were collected in Lexington and six contiguous counties for 64 months prior and 14 months after passage of the 100 percent smoke-free public places ordinance.
In fact, employment at Lexington restaurants grew by 3 percent after the smoke-free law went into effect, with an average of 400 employees added per month over 14 months. Bar employment remained stable over time. There was no association between the smoke-free law and employment in bars. The comparison of restaurant and bar openings and closings showed no significant difference before and after the law. These findings are consistent with previous studies of the economic impact of smoke-free laws that find no negative economic influence from such legislation.
Mark Pyles, assistant professor in the School of Business and Economics at the College of Charleston, was the lead author.
"This study only reaffirms the prevailing consensus in the literature: that smoke-free legislation causes no economic harm," Pyles said. "Regardless of opinions surrounding these laws, it is comforting to find the economy does not have to suffer at the expense of public health initiatives."
Donald J. Mullineaux, director of the school of management in UK's Gatton College of Business and Economics, and Ellen Hahn, professor in UK's College of Nursing and College of Public Health, are co-authors on the paper in the February issue of Tobacco Control, an international peer-reviewed journal.
"The social benefits that stem from reducing a health hazard like secondhand smoke do not need to be "traded off" against lost business opportunities, said Mullineaux. "Our study, like a number of others, indicates there are no significant losses to businesses associated with smoke-free laws."
"Our findings add to the growing body of research that smoke-free laws do not harm business," Hahn said. "Business owners in communities considering smoke free legislation can rest assured that the decision to protect health and provide clean air is good for everyone."
Currently, about 53 percent of the U.S. population is protected by local or state-wide smoke-free laws. However, tobacco-growing states typically have weak tobacco-control laws and provide less public protection from secondhand smoke. Lexington-Fayette County was the first community in Kentucky, a national leader in burley tobacco production and cigarette smoking, to enact such legislation.
Journal
Tobacco Control