Contact:
Angela Bradbery (202) 669-6517
Michael Tacelosky (202) 271-9320

February 22, 2005

Restaurant Sales Are Up in Montgomery County

New Numbers Show Smokefree Workplace Laws Good for Business and Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Data released today showing a 7.6 percent increase in restaurant sales taxes in Montgomery County since it went smokefree underscore the fact that smokefree workplaces laws are good for business.

Although the tobacco industry and the organizations it funds, such as the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, try to mislead city officials and the public nationwide with predictions that clean air laws will lead to the demise of the hospitality industry, the predictions always prove false.

"Smokefree workplace laws are good for business and good for health," said Angela Bradbery, co-founder of Smokefree DC. "The D.C. Council should not be intimidated by dire claims and false threats. The sky will not fall when the District goes smokefree. Restaurant and bar business will continue to thrive, and workers and patrons alike will be healthier."

Recognizing the health hazards posed by secondhand smoke in the workplace, the Montgomery County Council made all its workplaces 100 percent smokefree in October 2003. At the time, the Maryland Restaurant Association predicted dire economic consequences.

Those predictions have not come true. In fact, sales tax receipts for all Montgomery County eating and drinking establishments increased 7.6 percent in the year since the law took effect, and the county has received more applications for new restaurant licenses (87 applications from October 2003 to October 2004, compared to 80 applications between October 2002 and October 2003). Good economic news has been reported in other smokefree jurisdictions, including New York City, Delaware and California.

The purpose of smokefree workplace laws is to protect health. Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer and heart disease, and is responsible for an estimated 38,000 to 65,000 deaths per year in non-smoking Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year issued a warning to those at risk of heart disease that exposure to secondhand smoke for as little as 30 minutes can increase the risk of a heart attack.

Smokefree DC urges the D.C. Council to act swiftly to enact a smokefree workplace law in the District.

Smokefree DC (www.smokefreedc.org) is a nonprofit membership organization that supports 100% smokefree environments for all workplaces, including offices, restaurants and bars, because no worker should be forced to breathe smoke on the job.