Background:
Smoke free policies are an effective tobacco control strategy and can contribute towards the reduction of tobacco related morbidity and mortality when adequately enforced. Prior to the passage of a national law, in 2014, Lagos State, the commercial capital of Nigeria, passed a law to regulate smoking in public places. Since then, no study has assessed the effect of this law on the smoking patterns of cigarette smokers. This study aimed to assess the level of compliance with the law and its effect on smoking patterns among cigarette smokers in the state.

Methods:
The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 430 current cigarette smokers selected by convenience sampling from 29 hospitality centers in the state. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect the data.

Results:
The majority of the respondents (73.6%) have never complied with the law, and they still smoke in places designated as “no-smoking areas”. Among those who complied, the main reason for compliance was perceived fear of penalties attached to the law (78.4%) and the desire for a safe environment (78.4%). The enactment of the law did not affect smoking patterns. Majority of the respondents reported no effect on the quantity of cigarette smoked daily (64.4%), number of times smoked daily (62.4%), amount spent on cigarette monthly (63.1%) and their decision to quit smoking (66.4%). There was a statistically significant difference (p< 0.05) between educational and employment status and self-reported compliance with the law.

Conclusions:
Despite the passage of the state wide smoking law, many cigarette smokers did not comply with its tenets. Similarly, the law did not seem to have any effects on the smoking habits of the respondents. Efforts to ensure adequate compliance need to be put in place to ensure the benefits of the smoking law are optimized.