Smoking has already been banned in many public places! (Should smoking be banned in public places?)

Member Name: libertybell

Product:	Should smoking be banned in public places?
Date:	04/01/01 (236 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It is already happening

Disadvantages: It will become more difficult to impose further bans in the future

Other than when I tried out the dreaded weed and didn’t like it in when I was at school many moons ago, I have never smoked. To me there is nothing worse than coming home with your clothes and hair smelling far worse than a bonfire. Then there’s the health angle. Like many other people I am very concerned about passive smoking and as I don’t partake in the smoking thang – I don’t want to participate in sucking in all sorts of poisonous substances.

But let’s not too personal. Too many highly inflammatory opinions have been written on this subject, which do nothing other than to agonise those who smoke and those who do not. Let’s be a little more conciliatory.

I’m not going to write about the dangers of smoking. This is not what this opinion is directly about, its been covered elsewhere and I don’t need to be convinced. Let’s instead talk about this wonderful expression ‘public places’ and put together a definition.

My definition of a public place is where human beings meet and interact face to face. The interaction can take place in a privately owned building such as an office or pub or in a ‘publicly owned’ park. It can be a form of transport such as on a bus or train. It can be outside or inside or in a confined semi-open space such as a queue. It also includes flats and houses.

Having come up a definition (which you may or may not agree with), lets look at smoking in public places.

The really good news for those who want to breathe cleaner air is the large number of areas of public spaces where you cannot already smoke. For example you cannot smoke:

* In shops
* On most buses, trains, aeroplanes and taxis
* At petrol stations (for obvious reasons)
* In public buildings including libraries,
hospitals, Doctors surgeries
* In many fast-food restaurants
* In an office (except in smoking areas)
* In c
inemas/theatres (except in smoking
areas)

I am sure there are others – the above list are just those that come readily to mind.

It is easier to list those areas where you can still smoke:

* Most pubs (except for non-smoking areas)
* Most restaurants (ditto above)
* Clubs/dance floors
* On the street
* Parks
* Your own house/flat

There are others, which could be added but for 10p, I’m not going to write you a definitive list!

For non-smokers like me, I only run into people smoking when in a pub/restaurant or sitting/standing next to them at a bus stop or in a park. For me this is a very rare occurrence. This is something that everyone should be grateful/pleased about.

Where next?

The trouble is it will get more difficult to ban smoking in those areas where it is currently permitted. If they don’t already, smokers may feel more persecuted as their ‘freedom’ is further restricted. If introduced too quickly or without thought it may not work and previously tolerant smokers may rebel and break the rules. It is better to have consent (as we do now) when banning smoking rather than introducing it and struggling to police it when regularly broken. Smokers will always need somewhere to smoke.

The difficulty now is that we are getting down to a smallish number of public places where it is ‘acceptable’ to smoke. These include pubs and restaurants. Many smokers ‘enjoy’ smoking during a meal or whilst in the pub. Many non-smokers tolerate the existing situation (I don’t!).

Let’s say we were going to ban smoking in all or certain parts of pubs and restaurants. What would be the implications?

There would be a cost to the establishment of limiting smoking whether by either imposing a ban, installing expensive air-purification equipment or designating certain areas for non-smokers. A total ban in a res
taurant would stop that awful habit of smokers smoking between courses, but it could drive customers away and affect profits. It would be the best solution for the non-smoker but I don’t know if we are ready for it.

What about pubs? Smoking and drinking seem to inextricably linked. Many pubs (especially the family ones) have non-smoking areas. Could we ban smoking completely? What about the smaller family owned pub. They might not have the room for a non-smoking area. They might lose trade to the bigger pubs with non-smoking areas. If you are a government – you ignore these issues at your peril – especially if there is a General Election coming up!

So why not do nothing and keep the status quo. Well non-smokers living or working in a smoky environment may one day sue their employer as their basic human right to enjoy smoke-free air may have been violated. A child under 16 may take their parent/guardian to court because of smoking in their home. Unlikely? You never know!

Having typed this opinion – I feel like I have fence marks in my bum – from sitting on it. In many respects I am lucky because I seldom have to go into smoky environments. It is those people who do not have this fortunate choice (as previously mentioned) who we need to protect next.

Summary: