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Controversies Involving Smoking in Restaurants

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) predicts that by 2020, smoking in restaurants, bars, and other public places will be illegal in all 50 states. This prediction is based on the number of smoking bans adopted by states over the past decade: from zero in 2000 to 25 in 2010. Restaurant smoking bans are not without controversy, however.

  1. Conflicting Rights

    • One of the biggest controversies surrounding public smoking centers around the conflicting rights of smokers and non-smokers. By choosing to smoke in public, the argument goes, smokers are imposing harm on those around them. Therefore, banning smoking in restaurants has a positive impact on society. Not everyone sees it this way, however. Many smokers' rights groups argue that the decision of whether or not to allow smoking should be up to the restaurant owner. That way, non-smokers could choose to patronize a smoke-free establishment, and smokers can choose one that allows smoking. Restaurant workers could also choose whether to work at a restaurant that allows smoking or one that doesn't.

    Impact on Businesses

    • Another issue is the economic impact that banning or allowing smoking has on restaurants and bars. A study conducted by the CDC in El Paso, Texas concluded that the city-wide smoking ban enacted in 2002 had no impact on bar or restaurant revenues. According to the CDC, these findings are consistent with those conducted in other cities or states that have indoor clean air laws. Other studies, however, have shown different results. A study conducted by the Australian National University in 2007 examined the economic impact of Scotland's smoking ban and found that restaurants and bars experienced a 10 percent drop in sales and a 14 percent decrease in customers after the ban was enacted.

    Changing Behavior

    • Does banning smoking in restaurants reduce smoking in general? According to Dr. Stanton Glantz, the director of the Center For Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, the answer is yes. In an interview with ABC News, Glantz said that making it difficult for smokers to light up in public increases the social stigma associated with smoking, and the inconvenience, in turn, causes them to smoke less. Not everyone believes this to be the case, however. Thomas Lambert of the University of Missouri School of Law argues that because so many young people associate smoking with being "cool" or "rebellious," smoking bans may, ironically, make smoking more attractive to children and young adults.

    Health Issues

    • Another controversy is whether second-hand smoke in restaurants poses a significant health risk to non-smokers. Scientists have known for years that smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease and a host of other problems, but the research on second-hand smoke is less clear. Some scientists, such as epidemiologist Carl Phillips of the University of Alberta, believe that the health risks of second-hand smoke have been over-stated. According to Phillips, only individuals with heavy long-term exposure have an increased disease risk, such as a non-smoker who lives with a smoker.

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