No Smoking by "risingsunset"

Toronto City anti-smoking laws, despite being opposed (and hated) by tobacco lovers, seem to bring tangible results. A study published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal found out that the rate of hospitalization in Toronto significantly dropped.

The anti-smoking laws had three phases, which started being implemented since 1999 (the last phase took effective in 2004). The researchers Alisa Naiman, Richard Glazier and Rahim Moineddin from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences focused on the period 1996 (three years before the laws appeared) to 2006 (after the last phase), to find out, if there was any change in the rate of admissions to hospitals because of cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.

Their results are clear - the drop has been significant. Admissions based on cardiovascular conditions dropped by 39% and those, based on respiratory problems, were 33% lower. The hospitalization caused by heart attacks dropped by 17.4%. The phase banning smoking in restaurants was the most effective.

This means one thing – lower public exposure to tobacco smoke significantly reduces health risks. But – who didn't expect it?
 

The study is called Association of anti-smoking legislation with rates of hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions and can be publicly accessed