Smoking ban has not affected pubs’ and restaurants’ takings, finds Norwegian study

A new study of the income of pubs and restaurants in Norway, which completely banned smoking in such establishments in 2004, shows that the ban has not had a negative long term effect on either type of venue.

The study, published in the European Journal of Health Economics (doi:10.1007/s10198-010-0287-6), concluded that “smoke-free laws do not affect restaurant revenue directly or as a share of private consumption [total consumer spending].” It adds, “There is some evidence for a short-run effect on pub revenue as a share of private consumption, but there is no evidence of a short-run effect on the absolute level of pub revenue and no evidence for a long-run effect using either measure.”

One of the coauthors, Hans …