The current study uses secondary data in creative ways to test the previously unexamined impact of smoke-free legislation on transitions in AUDs. The inclusion of a large representative U.S. sample and control states without smoke-free bar and restaurant policies provided a unique opportunity to investigate whether the public health benefits of smoke-free policies extend beyond smoking-related outcomes to AUDs. Given the high comorbidity between AUDs and smoking, these finding have significant clinical and public health implications and call attention to an innovative legislative approach to decrease morbidity and mortality associated with AUDs. Current findings can inform policy debates to more fully capture the public health benefits of implementing smoke-free legislation.
