Economic Impact of Smoke-free Policies

"Making worksites, restaurants, and bars smoke-free saves lives, increases productivity, reduces health care costs, and doesn't hurt business." Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., Director, CDC

As part of ongoing efforts to reduce disease and death caused by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, the CDC Foundation and CDC have launched a new initiative to study the economic impact of smoke-free policies on restaurants and bars in nine states. Previous research shows that smoke-free policies that prohibit smoking in workplaces and public places, including restaurants and bars, reduce nonsmokers' exposure to secondhand smoke and help employees who smoke to quit. While the health benefits of smoke-free policies are clear, the perception that they might negatively affect restaurant and bar business can pose a barrier to the broader introduction and acceptance of these policies.

"We hope that the results of this analysis will advance efforts to reduce secondhand smoke and the serious health risks it poses to nonsmokers." Freda Lewis-Hall, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Pfizer

This initiative, made possible by a partnership grant from Pfizer to the CDC Foundation, will assess the economic impact of local smoke-free laws on restaurants and bars by examining objective economic indicators.

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> Learn more about CDC's Tobacco Initiatives

> Get the facts at CDC's State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System