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Editorial: NY Smoking Ban Shows Results [08/23-3]

Excerpts from: Smoking ban shows results

Poughkeepsie Journal [08/23/05]



When New York's ban on smoking in most public places went into effect a little more than two years ago, there were howls of protest it would be death knell of so many restaurants and bars.

Those fears have proven unfounded. The restaurant and bar industry has held its own and, in some cases, has prospered, although comprehensive data about the effects of the smoking ban are hard to come by, officials say.

Nevertheless, here is what is known:

• Health officials say bar and restaurant workers throughout the state are suffering fewer sore throats and runny noses since the state's workplace smoking ban started in July 2003. They say the drop is attributed to the fact these workers are no longer being exposed to secondhand smoke. The state Health Department anticipates declines in other work-related illness, perhaps even respiratory ones, as the ban continues.

• State health officials also say the percentage of people smoking is at its lowest point since those figures started being tracked in 1985, according to Gannett News Service in Albany. The percentage of adults smoking regularly has dipped under 20 percent for first time since those records have been kept.

• New York City has done some of the most comprehensive studies on the effects of the smoking ban, citing statistics showing tax receipts from bars and restaurants have risen since the law was enacted.

  The state law is commendably aimed at stopping smoking in most public places but there are exemptions for private halls with volunteer staff, such as at American Legion posts, for outdoor seating at restaurants, for enclosed rooms at nursing homes and for hotels.

  The state also gave some wiggle room for some businesses to get a waiver from the ban if they could claim financial hardship. Dutchess County Health Commissioner Michael Caldwell said no restaurant or bar is operating under such a waiver in Dutchess.

  The evidence is showing state officials were right to go forward with the ban, despite pressure from the tobacco industry and others not to change the rules. New York is better off with the ban. There's a good chance this belief will become even more apparent in time.

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