Looking out for its bottom line, Reynolds American Inc. poured more than $220,000 into an attempt to defeat a proposed smoke-free ordinance for Kansas City in April.</p><p>Fortunately, voters approved the measure, which will ban smoking in all bars and restaurants starting in early June.</p><p>Kansas City&#8217;s smoke-free law will not only protect the health of workers and customers in bars and restaurants; it should lead to less teen smoking.</p><p>A new study in Massachusetts indicates that eliminating smoking in restaurants helps persuade young people that their communities frown on public smoking.</p><p>&#8220;Youth living in towns with strong restaurant smoking regulations had 40 percent lower odds of starting to smoke, compared with youth living in towns with weak regulations,&#8221; researchers reported in the <em>Archives of Pediatrics &amp; Adolescent Medicine</em>.</p><p>The report concluded that smoke-free laws, especially in restaurants, &#8220;may be one of the most effective strategies&#8221; to prevent young people from starting to smoke.</p><p>Kansas City is joining Overland Park, Olathe, Independence and other area cities in enjoying the many benefits of a smoking ban for public places. And as a result, fewer young people are likely to take up the risky habit in the future.