Harvard researchers say smoking ban pays off for restaurants, bars

Publication Date: 2005-04-04

• Author:AP
• Publication:Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Massachusetts bars and restaurants have gained customers and added jobs since a statewide smoking ban took effect last July, according to a study Harvard researchers are scheduled to release today.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed tax records for all of the state's restaurants, bars and nightclubs, and they found that tax collections on meals increased 9 percent over the first six months of the smoking ban.