Clearing The Air

Saturday, January 06, 2007

European smoking bans eliminate customers and business......finally the media is starting to report the facts.

This story tells about a recent study which:

..collected data on 2,724 pubs - 1,590 in Scotland and 1,134 in Northern England.
In conclusion, they say the ban, introduced on March 26 last year, has seen a 10% decrease in sales and a 14% fall in customers in pubs. "Our study suggests that the Scottish smoking ban had a negative economic impact on public houses … due in part to a drop in the number of customers."
The short-term impact of the ban did not lead to more customers coming into pubs due to the smoke-free atmosphere....

In Spain business losses of 30% are being reported:

...This decision has had an immediate effect on the cash registers in these establishments. The president of the Association of Hostelry Businesses in Malaga (Aehma), Rafael Prado, tells us that since the new law came into force, those bar and restaurant owners who have banned smoking completely have lost 30 per cent of their bar clientele. “This translates into a global loss of about 12 per cent in turnover each day,” he adds. ......In his view, the new law has not achieved its objectives. “All it has done is to give everybody a bad headache,” he says, adding that there are not enough incentives for smokers to give up the habit.......

It should be noted that business losses due to smoking bans is not a new phenomenon, rather it is because the media did not report those losses that smoking ban advocates were able to lie to lawmakers about the effects on businesses.

Now however, with an alternative media that cannot and will not be ignored, traditional media outlets are forced to acknowledge the facts.........smoking bans destroy businesses and jobs.

And further to note, smoking bans are completely unnecessary as OSHA workplace air quality regulations (CFR 29) protect the health of every worker in the hospitality trade. Air quality test results show secondhand smoke levels in 60+ venues range between 15 - 25,000 times safer than OSHA air quality regulations for secondhand smoke.