On Mon, 30 Jan 2006, Wendy Lyon wrote:
>> i thought that research had been debunked?
>
> When? By whom? Before-and-after studies on Irish bar staff have shown
> quite significant health improvements since a complete ban was introduced
> here a couple years ago.
I don't know of one on bar staff, but in New York, several studies have shown the same effect our all out blitz on smoking (ban everywhere, prices raised to $7.50 a pack, free nicotine patches on demand): an 11% drop in the number of smokers in the first year. And that's with widespread circumvention of the price ban via Indian reservations and the internet. (The extra pain in the ass it still cost it seems was sufficient to push some people.)
Here's one:
http://www.quitwithyale.org/policy/action/downloads/NYC%20tobacco%20release%2005.12.2004.pdf
As far as bars are concerned, the most surprising finding came 6 months in: several polls of bar patrons showed that substantially more people were happy with it than unhappy. Many people (including me) were positive this would be a vote loser for the mayor, because smokers would hate it a lot, and nonsmokers would like it a little. But it was quite the opposite. It turns out that while most nonsmokers are meek, submissive types who would never say anything in public in support of the measure, they were very enthusiastic about their sudden access to fresh air while they drank which frankly they'd never thought possible. And they outnumber smokers by a substantial amount.
Of course New York is bluer than an Yves Klein painting, but still.
Michael