Reduction in cigarettes sales in Puerto Rico after the implementation of a smoke free workplaces ban in 2007: A time-series pre-post design

In March 2007 Puerto Rico (PR) implemented a smoking ban that goes further than the typical smoking bans implemented in other countries because it also bans smoking in all casinos and in vehicles with minors. Objective: To assess the association between the smoke free workplaces ban and the monthly sales of cigarettes packs before and after the implementation of the ban. Methods: We estimated the monthly sales of cigarettes packs from January of 1989 to February of 2010 using data from the Treasury Department of PR. Then we estimated a multivariate lineal regression model in were the dependent variable was monthly sales per capita of cigarettes packs. The independent variables included in the model were: a dummy variable representing the months after the implementation of the smoking ban, a linear time trend, seasonal dummies, price of cigarettes packs, and variables representing the economic activity in the Island. Secondary data from the Planning Board of PR and the Bureau of Labor Statistics were used to construct the other independent variables. Results: After controlling for the independent variables, the implementation of the ban was significantly associated with an average reduction in the monthly sales of cigarette packs of 22.3% (p<0.05) from March 2007 to February 2010. Conclusion: Results suggest that the implementation of the ban in 2007 resulted in a reduction of cigarettes sales in PR.