Smoking Ban Turned Good

Bostonist bets that some restaurant and bar owners, who complained about the state-wide smoking ban last year, are feeling a bit sheepish today. A Boston Globe article focuses on a Harvard School of Public Health study released today; according to the results of the study, the ban on smoking that took effect on July 5, 2004 for all Massachusetts restaurants and bars, has not hurt business, but it actually grew a little bit (9 percent to be exact). Now Bostonist knows what you're thinking: inflation just made that difference. Well, these Harvard folks are pretty "sm-aart," and they took that into consideration when they compared sales for July-December 2004 with years past at 27 local establishments. Oh and the health benfits aren't too shabby either. They found toxins down 93% since the smoking ban started last year, which means you can enjoy your burgers without the chance of lung cancer.
The town of Brookline was the first to start a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars in November 1993, and since then, other towns and cities have followed suit. The state has set up some hefty fines ($300 per Business that violates it and $100 per smoker) but says that Boston has only had a dozen or so violations in 2005. Sorry smokers, but it looks like you'll still be relegated to the cold outdoors to have a cigarette. With this news today, it looks like this ban is here to stay.