As county mulls smoking ordinance, other city's restaurants are booming in smoke-free environment

As county

mulls smoking ordinance, other city's restaurants are booming in

smoke-free environment

For the last few months of

2003, the Fayette County Commission considered the idea of creating a

public smoking ban in the county. The county agreed to further study the

issue and try and get an idea of the impact of such legislation

One of the more recent municipalities

to impose a public smoking ban was New York City.

According to a recent report,

the impact seems to be minimal on the city's restaurant and bar business.

New York City's smokefree

workplace law took effect in March, and business is booming. According

to Commissioner of Finance Martha Stark, "New York's bars and

restaurants paid the city 12 percent more in business taxes in the months

since the law began than they did in the corresponding period in 2002."

From April through September

of 2003 (the latest data available), the department collected $12 million

in general corporation and unincorporated business taxes from bars and

restaurants, up from only $10.8 million in the same period of 2002.

"Although these statistics

are far less important than the number of lives that will be saved, they

are a good indication that New Yorkers are adjusting quite well to the

smoking ban," adds Stark.

In addition to higher revenues,

almost 10,000 new jobs were added to the city's hospitality industry,

according to data from the New York State Department of Labor.

The situation in New York

is similar to the situation elsewhere according to Joe Cherner, founder

of BREATHE-- Bar and Restaurant Employees Advocating Together for a Healthy

Environment. "Every peer-reviewed study using sales tax data shows

that clean air is good for health AND good for business," says Cherner.

"It's normal that

some restaurants and bars lose money or go out of business. It has nothing

to do with providing clean air. The restaurant/bar business has extremely

high turnover. A bar or club that was trendy last year might not be trendy

this year."

According to the Zagat Survey,

91 restaurants closed since New York's smokefree workplace law took

effect. But 174 restaurants opened and many more openings are scheduled,

according to Zagat.

California became the nation's

first smokefree workplace state in 1995. Since then, Delaware, New York,

Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts have passed smokefree workplace

legislation. That number is expected to grow in 2004.

"Tobacco interests love

to get the media to report about businesses losing money." adds Cherner.

"But the truth is that for every loser, there are two winners."

The Citizen wants to hear from

our businesses on the issue. How would you be affected? Do you think your

business would close? Send your comments to jthompson@TheCitizenNews.

com for use in a future story about the issue.

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