Smoke-free legislation in drinking venues was not predictive of smoking onset or remission. Importantly, the influence of bar and restaurant policies on AUD transitions was not attenuated after adjusting for changes in smoking, indicating that the effect of this legislation on AUD transitions is independent of changes in smoking behavior. There is some evidence that the impacts of smoke-free policies on smoking cessation are delayed, such that the likelihood of quitting increases over time (Bauer et al., 2005). While the current findings might suggest that smoke-free policies in drinking venues have a more immediate impact on AUD transitions than on changes in smoking status, additional prospective studies with greater detail on the timing of such changes over a longer period of time are needed to better examine this possibility.
