So who of you smoke? And if you do/don't what do you think of the ban?

I don't smoke, and I think this is excellent. Why people think it is acceptable to pollute the lungs in public places is beyond me. In 20 years time people will wonder how we ever lived with smokers in confined spaces.

Its like me driving a car into your living room and leaving it on, but I wouldnt do that.

It will also be nice going out and not stinking of stale smoke afterwards having to wash something that I have only warn for 2 hours.

I also think it is a good thing. It has been going in Scotland for quite some time now, and all the smokers have to do is go out side or to a sheltered area created by the pub. It's not that big a deal for them really. The pubs are much cleaner and because of this a lot of pubs have re-decorated which looks stunning. I do feel sorry though for the non smokers...lol They could be sitting in the pub with 3 or 4 of their mates having a good blether, then all of a sudden all the mates go for a cig, leaving the poor old NON smoker sitting on his/her own.

The ban has been going in Buenos Aires for some months now, at the beginning most of the complaints came from waiters who had to ask the customers to stop smoking coz then those customers would not leave any tip .. but aside of that it has been taken well by public

Well im a smoker (well, still trying to give up) and i think its brilliant news! Maybe a slight contradiction here but i also hate stinking of smoke and i NEVER smoke indoors... not even in pubs (well those that allow it round here). And i think its great news for all the non smokers, i know that its probably awful for them to sit and breathe in another persons smoke when they shouldnt have to! And now with this ban they wont have to...yay!! Hopefully by that time i will also be a non smoker

I think it great. Its been going for about a year up here and I havnt heard anyone say they think its a bad thing. You dont realise how much of a difference it makes. I was down in England at the end of last year, and the first thing i noticed when walking into a pub was the smell of the smoke. It really is that obvious.

But one downside is, if youre in a club, and a lot of people go out at the same time, it can kill the amostphere a bit.

Yeah, this isnt so good. But i usually head out anyway as its nice sometimes to get out the club, when you otherwise wouldnt have been able too.

not a smoker... luckily there come more talks about banning smoke in the dutch pubs too

i don't really care too much about it, as an ex smoker, smokers don't really bother me.
and hahah fly, i don't really see the link between carbon monoxide and cigarette fumes.

we also have to realise though that as an economy, we want people to smoke, keeps taxes down
and for those who'd say 'so? just smoke outside!', it does not work that way

Thats not exactly true. As a lot of pressure is put on the NHS due to smoking related illnesses. Plus all that money that goes on the adverts to stop people.

various studies whose results have been published over the last 10 years have proven that "the association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and coronary heart disease and lung cancer may be considerably weaker than generally believed." (source: http://www.data-yard.net/43/1057.pdf). The media blow this issue way out of proportion and banning smoking infringes on basic human rights. On the other hand, a lot of non-smokers would say that smokers infringe on their right to be in a smoke-free environment. In my opinion, there is no right answer for this

At the end of the day you wouldnt sit in a room being filled with car fumes, so why is it acceptable to be sat in one with smokers.

well you see that's the (understandable) non-smokers argument. But smokers would counter by saying this. If people want to smoke, they can. It's their choice and the government has no reason to think otherwise. It hasn't been proven that second hand smoke increases the rate of death. At the end of the day, you don't drive your car into the pub. You walk in and light a cigarette.

You're more likley to get killed by a drunk-driver on a Friday or Saturday night than you are to get cancer from second hand smoke. Should we ban alcohol?

Yes, i dont drink

well then I can't have this argument with you

I am a 20 a day cig smoker and alhtough i knows its bad for you i cant quit.

May be this ban will help me to quit as i along with all my mates prob get sick of nipping outside in freezing british weather every 5 minutes................

I dont think itrs right though to ban smoking in public places though...That what Non-Smokign areas are for...

This happened in ireland a few years back, and while it had many positive effects, it also basically killed much of our pub culture and socialising habits. About half of our pubs closed as a result (that's a guess, but it's about right I think) and it destroyed a major social outlet for smoker and non-smoker alike.

I really can't understand why they couldn't just have introduced smoking and non-smoking areas instead. The argument against the introduction of smoking areas at the time was that the pubs couldn't afford it or didn't have enough space etc .... but that's really quite ironic now, because the only pubs to survive were the ones who spent considerable money building partially enclosed outdoor extensions where people could smoke in comfort (essentially they were forced to build outdoor smoking areas with indoor comforts ) ... the pubs that didn't ... closed.


I'm not denying that there is a very positive side to this of course, and it's really just another inevitable step towards making smoking illegal; but it's important that people realise that there is a negative side too, and you probably won't have heard that side in the propaganda you've been fed.

Smoking Illegal?!

The other ironic thing is that Alcohol causes more death than smoking......Will the Govt ban Drinking?!

I wont be surprised if they hike up the prices of Cigarattes int he next few years so it becomes so expensive it will be more expensive than Other drugs.......hahaha....How Ironic

At least youre past the worst of it. Just wait until its winter again.

That's exactly what it is mate, propaganda. It's a two sided argument but the government only feeds us one side, in accordance with their agenda.

Is it just me that finds the fact that the Government make so much money from the sale of cigarettes hypocritical?

If they really wanted people to stop smoking they would ban the sale of tobacco, but then would lose a huge source of revenue and in reality would only drive the sale of smokes underground. Saying that though, if tobacco were illegal then you wouldn't be able to smoke in public, would you.

Smokers in effect pay for any treatment they may need frpm the NHS by paying £5+ per packet and a huge slice of that going to the Governments pocket.

The vintners assocation in ireland did try to organise their own information campaign, but it was too little too late and unfortunately the smoking ban was commited to law before people knew both sides of the argument. They also considered mounting a legal battle, but were advised against it I believe. I expect the situation is very similar now in the uk.





Definitely! The cost of cigarettes rose 300% in the time I was smoking (I no longer do), and the majority of that increase was government tax. Although I always agreed with increasing the price of cigarettes (if they're more expensive you smoke less .. simple as) I always felt that revenue earned from the tax on cigarettes should be invested in it's entirety in combating the problems it causes.

Government revenue from cigarette sales is considerable, very considerable. And it basically comes from the government taking advantage of people's addictions. It's a very reasonable request that the money obtained from this be invested in minimizing it's ill affects, and in the health system generally.

yer its a good thing...maybe it'll help more peeps quit i dont know. im hoping i'll never get burned by another fag on the dance floor