I personally was lied to by several of them, as were some owners of bars and restaurants that I know.
I think they just waaaaaay overestimated the number of people who stayed away from bars/restaurants because of the smoke.
I agree with you. and they totaly UNDERestimated the number of people who would stay away if the ban went into effect. nearly all of my non-smoking friends don't go out as often as they used to for reasons that I posted in another post - includingthe fact that most of their smoking friends are not going out as much and the local hotspots are no longer so hot.
Provide a basis for your claim.