New Orleans’s Landmark Smokefree Law Drastically Improved Public Health, New Study Confirms

NOLA Proves Once Again That Smokefree Policies Benefit Workers, Patrons, and the Economy

New Orleans, LA — A new study examining the long-term impacts of New Orleans’s landmark smokefree law has confirmed that eliminating indoor smoking from the city — including in bars and casinos — has led to a dramatic decline in smoking-related deaths and lung cancer rates.

“LSU’s study confirms what we have seen on the ground for over a decade. When cities take action to eliminate indoor smoking, public health dramatically improves, and businesses continue to prosper,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR). “New Orleans’s success as a smokefree city over the past 11 years refutes the tired industry scare tactics about what happens when casinos go smokefree. Policymakers in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and beyond don’t have to guess what will happen when they eliminate toxic secondhand smoke from their casinos — they can simply look at the overwhelming data demonstrating the public health benefits and booming industry in the Crescent City.”

As other municipalities debate expanding clean indoor air protections, New Orleans serves as a national example. In 2015, despite the misguided objections of the gaming industry, the New Orleans City Council passed a comprehensive smokefree law that included the city’s casinos. Rather than suffering financial ruin as critics predicted, the local gaming industry has flourished. Caesars Entertainment, the owner of the city’s largest casino, subsequently completed a massive $435 million renovation and opened a new concert venue, proving that the industry can thrive while protecting workers and patrons’ health.

With national adult cigarette smoking rates dropping to an all-time low of under 10%, the vast majority of Americans, including more than 90% of gaming patrons, prefer clean, smokefree environments. The new data from New Orleans underscores that forcing casino workers to breathe toxic, cancer-causing secondhand smoke is a dire health hazard—and it is also completely out of step with modern consumer preferences. As local leaders across the country evaluate smokefree protections, ANR is urging lawmakers to follow New Orleans’s lead by prioritizing worker safety, acting on public health research, and closing all remaining casino smoking loopholes once and for all.