The new battleground: California's experience with smoke-free bars

Objectives. This study examined the tobacco industry's tactics in the polit ical, grassroots, and media arenas in attempting to subvert California's sm oke free bar law, and the efforts of health advocates to uphold and promote the law by-using the same 3 channels. Methods. Interviews with key informants involved in the development and imp lementation of the smoke-free bar law were conducted. Information was gathe red from bill analyses, internal memoranda, tobacco industry documents, med ia articles, and press releases. ments, Results. The tobacco industry Worked both inside the legislature and throug h a public relations campaign to.. attempt to delay implementation of the l aw and to-encourage noncompliance since the law was in effect. Health group s were able to uphold the law by framing the law as a health and worker saf ety issue. The health groups were less successful in pressing the state to implement me law. Conclusions. It is possible to enact and defend smoke-free bar laws, but do ing-so-requires a substantial and sustained commitment by health advocates. The tobacco industry will fight this latest generation of clean indoor air laws even more aggressively than general workplace laws.