November 18, 1999 

Contact: Bonnie Widerburg, (971) 673-1282

SMOKING BAN DOESN'T HURT LIQUOR OR BEER SALES

Study shows no overall economic impact on bars while employees and customers get significant health benefits.

(Corvallis, OR) Corvallis bars are complying with the city's ban on smoking, meaning a major health benefit to the employees and the customers of those bars. A majority of these persons are non-smokers. Further, Corvallis' ban on smoking in bars had no overall impact upon sales of liquor or beer. This and other findings were contained in a study released today by the Health Services of the Oregon Department of Human Services.

"We are extremely happy with the results of the survey. These findings mirror those from a recent study of California," Benton County health educator Dana Kaye said "We can successfully protect employees and customers from the cancer-causing chemicals in secondhand smoke without hurting business."

The study noted that there was a regional decline in video poker, and a larger decline in a few Corvallis bars. Other significant study findings:

• 65% percent of Corvallis bar customers said they like the bar experience better now than when smoking was allowed.

• Every worker and customer in Corvallis bars is now protected from cancer causing secondhand smoke, including the 54% of people employed in the Corvallis bars and the 66% of customers who do not smoke.

• Almost 9 in 10 customers in the Corvallis bars spend as much time or more in bars now as they did before the ordinance went into effect.

• 9 of 10 customers also report spending as much or more money on food and alcohol in bars as they did before the ordinance.

• Corvallis servers reported less eye irritation than before the ordinance, and less than servers in the comparison communities.

• 2 of every 3 customers in the Corvallis bars like the smoking prohibition ordinance.

The study, conducted by the Pacific Research Institute under contract with the Oregon Health Services, was designed to assess the health and economic effects of the Corvallis smoking ban in bars. It compared liquor and beer sales data from similar periods before and after the ban in Corvallis and nearby comparison communities. Researchers used data obtained from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Based upon analysis of this and other data, researchers found that the ban had no impact on liquor or beer sales, which declined equally in both communities and in the Corvallis establishments that were already smokefree.

In 1998, Corvallis voters upheld a city council decision to implement a ban on smoking in bars. That ban was passed to protect employees and customers from secondhand smoke.

According to Kaye, other studies elsewhere have found that, like bars, restaurant sales are also unaffected by similar ordinances designed to protect employees from secondhand smoke.