Was the study funded by a source clearly independent of the tobacco industry?
A review of the studies that were available in 2003 concluded that those that met all three criteria found no negative economic impact on businesses following the enactment of smoke-free ordinances. In some cases, there were even slight increases. Of the studies that that did find negative economic impact, none were based on objective data; only one was peer-reviewed, and all were funded by the tobacco industry or one of their front groups. A growing number of subsequent studies meeting these criteria confirm this conclusion. Despite the oft-made prediction that smoke-free ordinance will cause restaurants and bars to close, such was not evident for Columbia. While Missouri saw an increase of 5.8% in the number of restaurants and bars, Jefferson City saw a larger increase at 8.7%, but Columbia saw an increase of 18.3%, more than twice the percentage increase for Jefferson City and more than three times that for Missouri. In fact, the smallest number of restaurants and bars operating in
