My main objective of this blog was to help inform readers about the effects that smoking bans have had on the financial health as well as the physical health of cities and states that have enacted smoking bans.
Smoke-Free Ohio, the group responsible for Issue 5, made available to people a study of the financial effects of businesses that have instilled 100% smoke free environments. I think this document could prove to be helpful and thus enable people to make more informed opinions on where they stand with the statewide smoking ban.
I have found through my researching that for every study or article stating that there isn't any financial losses as a direct result of the smoking ban, you'll find another one that contradicts it and says that there is indeed a financial cost.
One thing that remains to be undisputed is that smoke free environments help to harbor a healthier general public. In the 3 cases I looked at every one stated that there was a reduction in the amount of heart attacks. And these decreases weren't minuscule, they were around 40% which is pretty significant.
So in the end it looks like the whole controversy over the smoking ban is a game of trade-offs. Which would you rather sacrifice, the health of Ohio residents or the profits for bars and restaurants? The choice is yours Ohio to be satisfied with the ban or continue to fight it.
**Photo Credit: This photo was taken by me and I used Adobe Photoshop for the special effect**
Many of you are asking questions about what is going on in Ohio. I've been searching on-line for the answers for you, and thus far have had no luck as far as the statewide ban that went into effect in December. However, I can discuss the effects of certain bans that have been in effect in cities located in Ohio.
Bowling Green in Wood County enacted a smoking ban in 2002. Like most of the cities I have discussed Wood County saw a 45% drop in the rate of heart attacks in the months following the smoking ban enacted as shown in this article by the Toledo Blade.This article also talks about the economic impact of the smoking ban, however it discusses a conflicted findings. While the study showed that there was no significant impact on the financial health of restaurants and bars, owners said they noticed a drop in business.
In all smoking bans I have discussed thus far, the rate of heart attacks of has decreased in areas where bans have been put into effect, but will the same be true for the entire state of Ohio? After talking with my mother and the nurses she works with at the office of Alexander F. Zolli MD, a vascular and thoracic surgeon, the answer seems to be yes. "While it is too early to see the effect the smoking ban has on our current patients with heart disease, we are noticing more and more patients are asking about ways to quit smoking, for example about nicotine gum or nicotine patchets," explained Diane Shimo. "Because of the smoking ban our patients are wanting to quit and we believe that this should help to reduce their risk of heart attack and reduce the occurence of them overall."
An especially interesting story I found about Ohio smoking bans was one that I read in an article from Columbus Business First. In it they discuss how restaurants and bars in cities that already had smoking bans were actually pushing for the statewide smoking ban. The business did so because they thought that it would level the playing field. With that statewide ban they wouldn't lose business to other counties or cities because they allowed smoking. All I have heard about is how business owners were against it, but it makes sense that some were pushing for it. What do you guys think?
**Photo Credit: This photo was taken by me on Court St.**
