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.**
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