Making Michigan’s restaurants, bars, and casinos smoke-free.

Michigan should ban smoking in all bars, restaurants, and any other type of indoor facility.  This law should not provide any exemptions to any type of facility.  Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3400 lung cancer-related deaths and 46,000 heart disease-related deaths in people each year in the United States according to the American Lung Association.  Numerous studies have recently shown that smoking bans in other states had no net economic effect on that states’ restaurants and bars and in some cases maybe even lead to its improvement.  A study conducted by Grand Valley State University also showed that going smoke-free in Michigan’s bars and restaurants would not hurt business.  In an effort to better protect the health of workers at these establishments who have no choice on where they work and other patrons who frequent these places, Michigan should pass a statewide ban on smoking in any indoor place including bars and restaurants.  However, Michigan should consider offering some sort of tax break during the first few years after the change takes place to businesses that can prove a loss of income resulting from this change.