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November 2009

• Regarding Indianapolis' proposed smokefree ordinance: "It sends a message to the rest of the world that Indianapolis is the kind of place you want to come to. We want Indianapolis to have that sense of the future that a smoking ban can bring, or at least signal," said Roland Dorson, President, Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, IN ¹
  
  
• "The business community understands that, ultimately, comprehensive smoke-free laws promote economic growth by reducing the employer health care costs and lost productivity," said Chip Carlisle, Chairman, Greater Houston Partnership. ²
  
  
• "We have seen in the last couple of years more and more visitors asking us which establishments are smoke free, so that is actually something that our visitor is becoming a little more savvy about," said Nicole Aiello, Public Information Officer, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, SC ³
  
  
• "We believe that this piece of legislation … has reasonable controls and is responsible in terms of really making a difference in the community and ultimately helping us reach our vision of becoming an economic hot spot," Greater Louisville (KY) Inc.'s chamber President Steve Higdon said in an interview. ⁴
  
  
• Michael Maurer, President of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, said: "I have read and agree with the many studies that show that there is no adverse economic impact on businesses in cities where smokefree ordinances have passed. In fact, studies show an increase in revenue in most situations…. We have enormous potential to lower the healthcare costs that our businesses must pay. The creation of smokefree workplaces will help us do that…. There are thousands of cities, some states, Canadian providences and a number of countries that have adopted complete smokefree ordinances with no exemptions. I urge you to do the same." ⁵
  
  
• "The chamber was very supportive of the ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas when it was discussed and approved last year. We are not objecting to the idea of holding accountable businesses that habitually permit violations of the law; this cannot be ignored. Our major concern is the lack of education…when education and a marketing effort are important," said Tom Larmore, Chair of the Santa Monica, CA, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. ⁶
  
  
• Robin Comstock, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (NH), said, "We believe this [smokefree] bill will not adversely impact the business community." ⁷
  
  
• Jim Rich, President of the Greater Beaumont (TX) Chamber of Commerce said, "A number of cities in Texas have enacted this [smokefree] ordinance. It has not impacted business. We want Beaumont to be at the forefront, not the last community to respond to what has become a significant public heath issue." ⁸
  
  
• The Board of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce unanimously endorsed Washington State's Measure I-901, which would make all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, 100% smokefree indoors. The Chamber noted, "In this case, we can do something to create a truly healthy environment for employees and customers while also helping businesses with their bottom-line." Steve Leahy, President & CEO of the Greater Seattle (WA) Chamber of Commerce. ⁹
  
  
• Bloomington and Monroe County, IN enacted 100% smokefree laws. "First, supporting and enacting public smoking bans is good public policy for a number of excellent health, economic and liability reasons. The latter reason is one that few businesses have thought about. I believe businesses that continue to allow smoking risk lawsuits for exposing employees/customers to known carcinogens. One simply cannot rationally argue against these reasons and businesses are placing themselves in economic peril … [I]n spite of gloomy predictions, the world does not end when smoking is banned in public places. On the contrary, while the evidence is still being gathered, some Bloomington bars and restaurants are reporting increases in post-ban business…[I] believe Chamber endorsement of the ban provided the 'tipping point' stimulus that gave lawmakers the necessary political shelter to vote for the ban…We certainly gained community respect," wrote Steve Howard, President of the Greater Bloomington (IN) Chamber of Commerce. ¹⁰
  
  
• "Tempe's hospitality community does not suffer in the least bit from the ban. We are actually encouraged by the fact that so many international destinations have chosen to pass smoking bans in their communities. This makes Tempe a leader on a local level and not simply a follower. That…falls in line with our reputation as a progressive and inclusive city. It is a pleasure going into restaurants and bars without smelling like a cigarette afterward. Our residents and visitors feel the same and there has not been any negative 'backlash' for the ban," wrote Stephanie Nowack, President and CEO of Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau. ¹¹
  
  
• "The facts prove that banning smoking in public places will not adversely affect business. In fact, one year after New York City enacted its smoking ban, business activity actually increased in restaurants and bars and 10,000 jobs were added. We understand the angst of some establishment owners, but we truly believe that this will be positive for businesses in Philadelphia, both in terms of bottom-line performance and the related health benefits to patrons and employees. This is both a sound business position and a serious public health concern. From the Chamber's standpoint, it makes sense to support a smoking ban. I applaud the Mayor and the Councilman Nutter for their farsighted leadership on this matter," Mark Schweiker, President & CEO, Greater Philadelphia (PA) Chamber of Commerce. ¹²
  
  
• Dan Allen, President of Muncie-Delaware County (IN) Chamber of Commerce, stated: "The time has come; there is plenty of evidence that second-hand smoke causes lung cancer, especially in young people. It is a trend across the nation, and a ban would give us an opportunity to differentiate ourselves from other communities that are dragging their feet." ¹³
  
  
• "We feel it has worked out quite well for everyone. It protects the public health and it allows businesses to make accommodations to their customers that wanted to smoke in their facilities," said Jeffrey S. Ciuffreda, Vice President of the Greater Springfield (MA) Chamber of Commerce, regarding a one-year old smokefree law. ¹⁴
  
  
• "[Restaurant] and bar business is so vital that I think it [Boulder, Colorado's smokefree law] actually made it [business] stronger," said Stan Zemler, President of the Boulder (CO) Chamber of Commerce. ¹⁵
  
  
• "Secondhand smoke is a real danger… I know some of us in the business community were given pause by this new [100% smokefree] ordinance. After all, new mandates too often can raise costs, interfere with productivity and intrude unnecessarily on the private sector. But I want to suggest that stopping smoking and demanding clean air are business issues. Nothing is better for business than a healthy, productive work force…. In business, we recognize that it is essential today to create a workplace culture that values employees. We ought to be clear that we also value the health of our employees…. We should be proud that we live in a community that is leading the way in the push for a better, healthier quality of life. Together we are creating the workplace we all want for the future," said Jim Hinton, Chairman of the Albuquerque (NM) Chamber of Commerce. ¹⁶
  
  
• "We [the Chamber of Commerce] were trying to look what was best for our members and what was best for the community. We felt, again, the health issues [sic] was an important issue we needed to address because even our smaller members are affected by this [secondhand smoke] one way or another," said Dave Long, Executive Vice President of the 300 member Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, (IN) Chamber of Commerce. ¹⁷
  
  
• "[A]t the time the ordinance was presented, we [the Chamber of Commerce] were extremely wary of it. We feared that the ban on smoking would cost the community revenue, jobs, tax dollars, tourists and tourist-generated income. We ended up coming out in support of the ordinance, seeing it as a leap of faith that wouldn't hurt business. Suffice it to say, our initial fears were unfounded and today, I'm pleased to report that the effects have been extremely positive," wrote David Garth, President/CEO of San Luis Obispo (CA) Chamber of Commerce. ¹⁸
  
  
• "Everybody knows it's coming, it's a non-issue to a great extent," said Scott McCammon, Executive Director of the Burlington (Ontario, Canada) Chamber of Commerce. The article in which MccCammon was quoted added, "A recent survey showed 85 percent of Chamber members responding support a complete ban." ¹⁹
  
  
• The Tempe Chamber of Commerce and Arizona Restaurant & Hospitality Association decided to support Proposition 201, a comprehensive smokefree measure that would restrict smoking in all workplaces. A rival ballot question, Prop. 206, is backed by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and would exempt bars from the statewide smoking ban. ²⁰

REFERENCES

1. Jarosz, F., "Why Indy's behind the pack: streak of individualism, lack of a health culture block smoking ban," Indianapolis Star, November 1, 2009.
2. Greater Houston Partnership. "Partnership Supports Smoke-Free Ordinance in Houston." Press Release. September 6, 2006.
3. Ponton, T., "Myrtle Beach chamber stays neutral in public smoking debate," scnow.com, July 26, 2007.
4. Gerth, J. "Chamber to back smoke ban: Business group's stance is new," Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal, June 4, 2005. Downloaded at http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050604/NEWS01/506040422. Accessed on June 6, 2005.
5. Maurer, M., "[Letter to Greenfield City Council re: smokefree ordinances.]," October 7, 2005.
6. Varghese, A., "Smoking ordinance gains steam," Lookout News, December 13, 2007.
7. [n.a.], "House prepares for vote on smoking ban," TheWMURChannel.com, March 8, 2006.
8. [n.a.], "Beaumont Chamber of Commerce supports smoking ban," KBTV NBC 4, March 20, 2006.
9. Leahy, S., "I-901: Good for Business in Washington," Healthy Indoor Air Washington, November 3, 2005. Download at http://www.healthyindoorairwa.org/i_901_good_for_jobs_and_business/. Accessed on November 3, 2005.
10. Howard, S.,. "[Letter to whom it may concern re: Smoking Bans are Good]," [n.s.], February 1, 2005.
11. Nowack, S., "[President and CEO of Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau re: Letter to Cynthia Hallett, Executive Director of ANR.]," [n.s.], June 22, 2005.
12. [n.a.], "Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Supports City Council Bill to Ban Smoking in Public Places," PRNewswire, March 4, 2005.
13. McBride, M., "Chamber backs curbs on smoking," Star Press, January 14, 2006.
14. Goonan, P., "Restaurants mark 1 year smoke-free," Union-News, March 3, 2002.
15. Sovak, K., "Clearing the air: restaurant owners divided over no smoking issue," Minot Daily News Online, March 28, 2001.
16. Hinton, J., "Stopping smoking is a business matter," Business Outlook, July 22, 2004.
17. [n.a.], "Chamber of Commerce Gets Involved in Smoking Ban Debate," WLFI-Lafayette (IN), June 17, 2005.
18. Garth, D., "Letter to Nebraska Senators from San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce in favor of Smokefree Legislation," January 29, 2001.
19. Smith, D., "Workplace smoking ban a 'non-issue' for local business," Burlington Post, October 28, 2002. Downloaded at http://www.haltonsearch.com/bp/story/685102p-812994c.html.
20. Sunnucks, M., "Tempe Chamber, restaurant group back total smoking ban," Business Journal of Phoenix, October 4, 2006.