Smoking ban showing impacts

May 1 marked the beginning of Michigan’s smoking ban, and three weeks later people are talking about the impact of the ban.

First came the Michigan Department of Community Health announcement Monday morning that calls to the state’s Quit Hotline have increased 20 percent. From that release:

“We have seen a 20 percent increase in calls since April 26,” said Karen Brown, tobacco use treatment specialist for the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). “We are excited to see more people taking advantage of this opportunity to improve their health by quitting smoking.”

And Brown is not the only one cooing about the news.

“According to a study in the American Journal of Public Health, smokers employed in locations with strong smoke-free workplace ordinances were 38 percent more likely to quit over a 6-month period than those in regions with no such laws,” said Dr. Greg Holzman, chief medical executive for MDCH. “Many people find that no longer having the triggers to smoke while on the job aids them in quitting for good.”

The absence of triggers may in fact be impacting business.

Bar owners in Macomb County tell the Macomb Daily, the smoking ban is hurting their businesses.

For [Nick] Kyprianides [owner of Kick Ass Sports Bar], the impact hit like a bomb as soon as the ashtrays were removed and “no smoking” signs were affixed to the interior wall. For many bargoers, a drink or beer go hand-in-hand with a cigarette, he said.

“I was down $2,000 or 80 percent of my business on the first day,” he said. “I would say 25 to 30 percent of my customers are smokers and they represent 90 percent of our business. The remaining non-smokers have not stepped up to fill the void.”

Kyprianides did note that an eatery he owns had seen a 25 percent boost in sales since the ban started.