COVINGTON, Ky. - A new study released yesterday is further proof that smoke-free laws do not negatively affect restaurant and bar business. Elected officials in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties should enact comprehensive smoke-free ordinances to protect public health without fear of harming local businesses.

Mark Pyles of the School of Business at the College of Charleston and Ellen Hahn of the College of Nursing at the University of Kentucky conducted the study, which showed that Northern Kentucky border counties experienced the same increase in economic indicators that its surrounding non-border counties did. After a review of unemployment records and income levels, the study concluded that Ohio’s smoke-free law had no economic impact on the Northern Kentucky border counties.

Opponents of smoke-free laws in Northern Kentucky have often said that Kentucky establishments experienced windfall profits after Ohio passed a smoke-free law. We can now affirmatively say that this claim is false. Kentucky did not experience an influx of business when Ohio went smoke-free. Northern Kentucky can move forward with smoke-free laws as it is not experiencing financial gains from Ohio under the current circumstances. Additionally if Northern Kentucky went smoke-free, there is no evidence that business would leave the region to go elsewhere.


Studies all over the world have shown that smoke-free laws either have no impact or a positive impact on restaurant and bar business. Now the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region is among the many communities that have evidence showing that smoke-free laws do not drive away business.

Although smoke-free laws do not harm the economy, secondhand smoke does harm health. The debate is over regarding the health effects of secondhand smoke. An Institute of Medicine report released just last week conclusively confirms the scientific evidence that secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease, and that smoke-free laws reduce the risk of heart attacks. The Surgeon General and other health authorities have firmly established that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 69 known carcinogens. The Surgeon General has concluded that secondhand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease and serious respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome.

Mountains of evidence support the need for smoke-free laws to protect workers’ health. The evidence is also clear that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business.

More information: http://www.mc.uky.edu/tobaccopolicy/NewReleases/