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[Paul M]

I think it's great, as mentioned we've had it in Scotland for over a year, and there have been few complaints or problems.

As some of you may know I'm a very social animal who likes clubbing at weekends, and although the thick smoke that used to be prevalent in most clubs didn't consciously bother me (probably because I'd become so used to it), I'm sure it wasn't doing my lungs much good. However the real killer was the absolute stench from my clothes and hair the next day, really quite disgusting .

So personally I think it's much more pleasant going to pubs and clubs now, and I fully agree with it. The main difference between smoking and alcohol is that smoke necessarily affects everyone in the vicinity, so even though I choose not to smoke I still had to breathe in the smoke of everyone else in the room, plus pick up the horrid stench. I may choose to poison myself with alcohol, but I don't force beer down the throat of teetotalers, nor do I spray their clothes with it so they smell of it.

One more thing I'm very glad to see the end of is being burned by cigarettes by careless people on crowded pubs or club dancefloors.

I went partying a few times in England before the ban came in down there, and it enlightened me to just how pervasive tobacco smoke is inside a building, as I'd become so used to everywhere being smoke-free.

The way I see it is: feel free to kill yourself with whatever your poison of choice may be, but don't force it upon others who don't share your choice. And in that regard I think the ban is completely justified.

BTW I'm not in favour of the nanny state in general, in fact I think having controls on "illicit" substances is generally counter-productive to society in general (see my point above about people harming themselves with their choice of poison). Anything that doesn't affect others is fair game IMO -- people can make their own choices, and criminalising things just creates a black market for it bringing a whole set of more serious issues.

[Auto Addict]

As a smoker, the ban doesn't bother me, I don't smoke in my house, car, pubs, restaurants, workplaces etc.

I do not like walking into an atmosphere full of smoke.

I have just come back from a cruise, you can smoke on ships as they are covered by maritime law.

Certain bars were smoke free, others you could smoke in, I only went into the smoke free ones. If I wanted to smoke, I went out on deck.

In fact, I much prefer to smoke outdoors.

....and if I smoke outdoors, how can I be affecting non smokers!

Sorry, anti-smokers, but don't get at me!

[DaveL]

Controversial me time ....

Completely agree with it - its frankly not enough. Smoking should be banned anywhere public.

You will see in time that the problem of smoking moves somewhere else with this new legislation - remember we have had this for a year in Scotland, and I CANT STAND weaving my way in and out and in and out to and from work in the city with all these office workers standing all over the pavement polluting the environment on mass because they cant smoke inside etc etc.

The ban should move to streets next....

Well you did ask  

As you can see from my address tag I live in Scotland, in fact I live here because I wanted too not due to birth.

I agree with personal choice but the ban on smoking in public would be very welcome by me. The ban on smoking in pubs and the rest is very good. Who wants to go out for a meal and some inconsiderate person on the next table lights a cigarette when you are about to eat. This has happened to me and mine both up here in Scotland and in England.

 In all my 'employment life' the work place has been a non-smoking area. The partakers of the weed have had to make an effort to go outside to a designated 'smoking area'. The smokers get 'smoke breaks' then non-smokers keep working. If you were to arrive late for work by 15 mins (average time to smoke a 'fag' suppose) why do some employers deduct wage for this and not from smokers going out for a 'fag'?

One of the posters said about banning smoking in a submarine, all I ask is have they been in a Submarine? Speaking from experience fire on a sub is one of the greatest killers. So getting rid of a source of possible ignition can only be a good thing. Alcohol is also banned ( along with other more anti social things).

Another posed question was about air conditioning taking away the smoke. Yes they would, but a lot of air cons in pubs are not serviced as much as they possibly should be. The internal filters will get caked with the crap given from cigarettes over time.  These in turn do not get changed and then you get more problems.

As Markie says I cannot stand weaving in and out of the crowd of smokers and if there is nothing more sad to see is a smoker soaked to the skin trying to light a smoke. We have seen the reports about the effects of smoking, true or not,

There has been a lot of reports about the smoking ban in poor old England, we had them over 18 months ago now, with stories of pubs going out of business. I am sure that some did have a hard time.On the positive side there were many people, who did not want to be in a smoky room, have/are now going to pubs to eat good food.

Give the smoking ban a chance, yours, mine and every ones health can only benefit.

DaveL

[Markie]

who started this thread  

[Andy B]

.......
One of the posters said about banning smoking in a submarine, all I ask is have they been in a Submarine? Speaking from experience fire on a sub is one of the greatest killers. So getting rid of a source of possible ignition can only be a good thing. Alcohol is also banned ( along with other more anti social things) ........

Have I been on a 'boat'? Not to sea in one, but yes I have. I went drinking alcohol on one in Faslane.

[Martin_1962]

As a smoker, the ban doesn't bother me, I don't smoke in my house, car, pubs, restaurants, workplaces etc.

I do not like walking into an atmosphere full of smoke.

I have just come back from a cruise, you can smoke on ships as they are covered by maritime law.

Certain bars were smoke free, others you could smoke in, I only went into the smoke free ones. If I wanted to smoke, I went out on deck.

In fact, I much prefer to smoke outdoors.

....and if I smoke outdoors, how can I be affecting non smokers!

Sorry, anti-smokers, but don't get at me!

Fair enough  - one I have come across are people who smoke while eating, and another smoker wondered why because they thought they ruined each other.

[Martin_1962]

Zyban works

[Andy B]

Zyban works

I know   ....... but my doctor was a bit reluctant to prescribe it, as it can cause problems to do with the heart in some people. A paramedic died due to the effects of taking it.

[Martin_1962]

Zyban works

I know   ....... but my doctor was a bit reluctant to prescribe it, as it can cause problems to do with the heart in some people. A paramedic died due to the effects of taking it.

Cured my mother-in-law

[bob.dent]

Aaahhhhhggg..........don't get me on my soapbox!!!!

I was always lead to believe that we lived in a "democratic" society whereby the population are given a say on issues affecting the whole country, but not any more. We now get told what we can and what we can't do without the right to choose, and in my book that makes this country a nanny state.

Yes I am a smoker, however, I do agree with no smoking in certain public places such as restaurants, cinema's etc. but a total ban such as we have now is just totally unacceptable. They should have allowed publicans to either choose to be completely smoking or non-smoking, or have seperated areas within. One of my best friends is the landlord of my local pub that doesn't do food and the majority of patrons are smokers. He has very efficient smoke extractors and air conditioning throughout the pub and smoke was never a problem even for the majority of non-smokers. His trade has fallen by over 50% since the ban despite spending thousands of punds in order to provide a comfortable covered and heated smoking area outside. How long will it be before we see large numbers of pubs going out of business because of this governments steamroller tactics.

As someone else mentioned, they have designated smoking area WITHIN the House of Commons too, so as usual it one rule for them and another for us

Ok ok, I'll get me coat

[Martin_1962]

Aaahhhhhggg..........don't get me on my soapbox!!!!


As someone else mentioned, they have designated smoking area WITHIN the House of Commons too, so as usual it one rule for them and another for us

Ok ok, I'll get me coat

It should be more enforced in the house of commons!

[Auto Addict]

I don't cause a nuisance to non-smokers, I put my spent cigarettes into litter bins (after carefully making sure they are out), unlike gum chewers, and takeaway users, discarding unwanted gum and food all over the place, encouraging vermin.

I don't have to mug old ladies to fund my habit like druggies, and if I smoke too many in a day, I don't puke my guts up all over everywhere (like binge drinkers).

I agree with not smoking indoors in public places, as I never do, so that doesn't affect me.

And if all you non-smokers are frightened of catching something off us smokers, I suggest you all give up your cars, don't fly on planes anymore, stop f**t**g to help stop polluting the atmosphere.

My last word.

[bob.dent]

And if all you non-smokers are frightened of catching something off us smokers, I suggest you all give up your cars, don't fly on planes anymore, stop f**t**g to help stop polluting the atmosphere.

Funny as it may sound, a major contribution to pollution/global warming is due to the methane (farts) emmitted by the world's cattle and other livestock! :-?

[TheBoy]

So personally I think it's much more pleasant going to pubs and clubs now, and I fully agree with it. The main difference between smoking and alcohol is that smoke necessarily affects everyone in the vicinity, so even though I choose not to smoke I still had to breathe in the smoke of everyone else in the room, plus pick up the horrid stench. I may choose to poison myself with alcohol, but I don't force beer down the throat of teetotalers, nor do I spray their clothes with it so they smell of it.

The trouble is, and you can begin to see it happen already, is that the propoganda will be put in place that makes drinking as unacceptable as smoking.  You wait, groups of lads at the bar having a quiet(ish!) drink will become outcasts, disturbing the peace and quiet in pubs restuarants, and thus, no drinking in pubs restuarants.

I agree, apart from the odd smack in the chops from a drunk, others drinking does not affect my health (although the effects of smoking are not truely known - there is (possibly) an increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease, not a dead cert it will happen despite what the government and 'new style' BBC would have you believe).

The authorities are beginning to poise themselves for a 'drinking is more dangerous thing than smoking' type campaign - in fact they are probably right, as drink related illnesses are probably easier to prove than alledged smoking related illness.


As said, I am, and always (almost ) have been, a non smoker.  I never particularly liked heavy smoke, but if it bothered me that much, I should go to another, less smoky bar.  The fact that the 'smoke free' pubs (and the alcohol free pubs) I know of failed shows that it couldn't have been as much of an issue as authorities made out.


We've had probably 10yrs of anti-smoking campaigns, I think the anti-drinking campaigns are about to start....

[Golfbuddy]

What I find the most amazing thing here is that the majority of OOF members who have voiced an opinion have agreed that, whilst smoking is a bad thing and is antisocial, the ban on smoking in all public places is inequitable. I know and appreciate that there are a couple of members who say that the ban is correct.

I am a smoker and at various times I have quit for lenthy periods, the longest being about 18 months. I have no problem whatsoever with individuals or organisations who ban smoking in their premises. I tend not to smoke in my own house when we have visitors who don't smoke.

What I absolutley object to is the government passing a law that says that if I or anyone else chooses to allow smoking in my or their workplace we are not allowed to. As The Boy and others have said, there have been non smoking bars and retaurants for years. If this was such a popular option then every public place would be no-smoking and there would be no need for legislation. The fact is that this is unpopular but it is being forced on society regardless.

Unless people who care about civil liberties take a stand and do something about this now then what will be next? Driving? Drinking? Fishing? Your guess is as good as mine but this will not be the end. If you don't believe me you only have to think how ludicrous the thought of banning smoking in all public places would have been 10 years ago.