FIGHTING BACK IN SAN FRANCISCO
Our Community Deserves Smoke-Free Air
Close the Loophole to Protect Workers
San Francisco law protects workers from secondhand smoke and vape nearly everywhere, including farmer’s markets, sports arenas, movie lines, ATM lines, bus stops, parklets, restaurant patios, and indoor areas of bars… but not bar patios!
Bar workers deserve the same protections on their workplace patio as they have at a bus stop or ATM. No one should have to choose between their health or a paycheck.
Smoke-Free Air Laws are Good for Business
25 years of data in the United States show that smoke-free air laws do not have an impact on bar or restaurant employment. After the law designated indoor areas of California bars smoke-free in 1998, bar revenues continued to climb.
A study of Irish bars in San Francisco showed that when bar interiors were required to be smoke-free, the bars made more money or broke even at worst. One bar manager stated, “We definitely got a crowd, more people coming in now because of the fact that we don’t allow smoking — a different crowd.”
Surveyed Customers Would Go More
A 2023-24 LGBTQ Minus Tobacco survey of 379 people who identified bars with patios in San Francisco they have visited showed nearly half would go to those bars more often if the city required all bar patios to be smoke-free.
46%
would go to smoke-free patio bars more often
47%
would go to smoke-free patio bars at least as often
San Francisco Bar Patio Air is Unhealthy
6 of 9 queer or queer-friendly bar patios visited in San Francisco in 2022 had peak air quality readings in the EPA “unhealthy” range or higher.
As shown on the graph, one venue with lots of cigar smoking reached the “hazardous” level!
Thirdhand Smoke is Hazardous
Thirdhand smoke is residue from smoking and vaping that settles on surfaces, floors, furniture, clothes, hair, and skin. Thirdhand smoke contains nicotine and other chemicals that remain long after smokers are gone.
5 of 6 San Francisco bar patios where surface samples were taken had nicotine residue levels comparable to homes with indoor smoking.
4 of 4 non-smoking bar patrons had high levels of nicotine on their hands after spending 2 hours on San Francisco bar patios.