The indoor smoking ban in Wisconsin has had no adverse effect on the hospitality industry, according to a new study.
The report, which was issued by the UW-Madison Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, looks at variables such as the rate of employment at restaurants and the number of citations for smoking violations at establishments with liquor licenses over the course of five years, from 2005-2009.
Three citations were recorded in the report, including one in Appleton and two in Eau Claire.
Although employment at taverns and restaurants saw a slight decline over the five-year period, researcher David Ahrens, who authored the report, attributes the decline to the recession. Ahrens added that the hospitality industry actually fared much better than most others since the recession began.
Additionally, the study found no difference in employment rates between taverns in areas that banned smoking indoors and those that did not.
