A smoking ban for the Dutch hotel and catering industry; a cost-benefit analysis.

This study provides a cost-benefit analysis of this policy. Furthermore, a smoking ban is compared to a less drastic alternative, improved ventilation. It turns out that the benefits of a smoking ban exceed by far the costs using assumptions that appear most plausible. Sensitivity analyses with a number of different assumptions, for example regarding the value of improved health, do not change this conclusion. Improved ventilation also has a positive net effect, but this effect is much smaller than that of smoke-free pubs, hotels and restaurants.

This publication is in Dutch.