Tobacco Documents Online

t once it is recognized that indoor air contains numerous other things, the relative significance of cigarette smoke diminishes even further, which in turn makes even less plausible the claim that smoking is a sionificant source of ventilation costs, in most cases. In sum, there is no economic justification for workplace smoking rules, except those ru:les which have been voluntarily adopted by firms and workers in the absence of government policy. Firms have clear incentives to produce their output at least cost. In this respect, even if smokers are more costly employees (a point of view with which we disagree), they will be employed because they add more to a firm's revenues than to its cost, i.e., !:hey are productive workers. To focus on the alleged costs of hiring a particular. type of worker is totally beside the point. The point is to hire the best workers, among which will often be found smokers. Whether through open competition for workers or through collective bargaining, the prope:- approach to workplace smoking is to allow companies and employees to decide upon the appropriate smoking policy on a company-by-company basis. Government is not required to solve this problem. 11

I Reference s 1. Ault, R.W., R.B. Ekelund, J.D. Jackson, R.S. Saba and D.S. Saurman, "Smoking and Abse Study," Auburn, Alabama (1988). nteeism: An Empirical r 1 2. Luce, B.L. and S.O. Schweitzer, "Smoking and Alcohol i Abuse: A Comparison of their E conomic C onsequences," New England Journal of Medicine 298, 569-571 (1978). 3. Kristein, M.M., "How Much Can B usiness Expect to Profit From Smoking Cessation?" Preve ntive Medicine, 12: 358-381 (1983). 4. Office of Technology Assessment , U.S. Congress, "Smoking-Related Deaths and Fin ancial Costs." Washington., D.C. (OTA Staff Mem orandum 1985). 5. Rice, D.P., T.A. Hodgson, P. Si nsheimer, W. Browner and A.N. Kopstein, "The Economic Costs of the Health Effects of Smoking, 1984" The Milbank Quarterly, 64: (4) Cambridge University Press (1986). 6. Weis, W.L., "No Ifs, Ands or Buts: Why Workplace Smoking Should Be Banned," Management World, 339-44, (Sept. 1981). i 12 t