Best news in ages! Smoking Ban Date set!

[Bazzlad]

Thread cleaned up. Stop willy waving at each other and start posting like adults and I'll treat you like them

Sorry Moby, I don't often bite the hook but did this time.

Anyway. Banning smoking is a great idea.

[Digerati]

I The general feedback from when I was there was very good and smokers even say they weren't bothered anymore.

Thats what I discovered when I was in Toronto. When out clubbing, to smoke you needed to get stamped, go out into the rain and smoke. I spoke to a few smokers (when I was outside having a fag) and they said "Well, we smoke, its the least we can do really"...

To which I thought, fair enough.

[Steve B]

being from glasgow, ive been going to smoke-free clubs for some time.
its really good that you dont come home smellling of smoke, just a shame you come home stinking of beer, sick and other peoples BO

E! It could be i just frequent lesser-quality establishments however

[Moby-Dick]

as a recent ex smoker I think the ban is a good way of helping people give up. It seems that in my own life time the number of people smoking has halved , which is probably a good thing. It does pose a couple of questions ( playing devils advocate for a shirt time )
If smoking stops in the UK ( or reduces to negligable levels )
- where is the £6.5bn profit that the government makes ( after spending approx £1.5bn on smoking related costs to the NHS) going to come from ?
- ok so smoking becomes fully socially unacceptable. What is next ? I've a hunch that drinking is going to be the next social pariah.

Edited to add source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4709394.stm

[Bazzlad]

So you are willing to believe controversial scientific evidence that passive smoking is the cause of numerous deaths, but aren't willing to believe more widely accepted scientific evidence that alcohol causes changes of mood and emotion? Not to mention alcohol itself is a carcinogen.
Thousands and thousands of people walk down a busy street each day, but scientific research methodology dosn't take on board the chemicals and carcinogens you breath in doing that into passive smoking studies (at least no study I have seen).

Are you really saying that Alcohol is more dangerous than smoking? It seems that way, you appear hell bent against beer, which has been the cornerstone of the British way of life since records began.

Smoking however, a recently made, chemically induced, revenue increasing addiction which ultimately leads to death should be allowed? And I should be forced to breath other people's second hand smoke?

Now as for the exhaust fumes etc I see that in the same light as background radiation, I do believe we have/are building an immunity to it. (That stated, I also think it has something to do with the rising asthma in children)

HOWEVER< getting from A to B in modern life is a necessity. Smoking doesn’t have a single plus point. If you’ve started, you’re trapped. No one like the first smoke, and I don’t believe people enjoy smoking. It’s an addiction, and a habit which they can’t break. This will help pave the way. My brother keeps quitting, but he fails when he goes out, because it's everywhere. Maybe he can quit for good now.

[Moby-Dick]

I noticed a couple of things in Ireland ( my first smoke free exploration )

- you walk through a crowed haze of smokers to get into your smoke free pub.
- now that the pub doesn't smell of smoke , you notice other....odours , such as the iffy plumbing or the person that was recently sick...

[Ben_]

alcohol is extremely dangerous for a variety of reasons.
i also strongly disagree that its a cornerstone of british way of life, except for the working classes. a part maybe, but not a cornerstone

[Moby-Dick]

I gotta take issue with this.....

Smoking however, a recently made, chemically induced, revenue increasing addiction which ultimately leads to death should be allowed?

tobacco has been around in the UK since Elizabethan times ( thats the first Elizabeth , not the current one )
chemically induced: alcahol isn't a chemical is it ?
revenue increasing : remind me again what the UK tax on alcahol and petrol is ? thats an utterly irrelevent point.

your posts have got more spin on them than a gyroscope.....

[shaithis]

While non-smokers have no control over brething in the fumes of smokers, the victims of drunk-driving or drink-induced violence have no control over their fate.

You can make arguments on both sides, if you ban one for the "off chance it could have an effect on another persons life", how can you not be all for the other?

Unless your a complete and utter hypocrite of course.

I hate the "I'm alright jack" attitude that seems to be the norm these days.

[yamangman]

snip

I'm trying just to bring a little balance with my arguments here and suggest alternative arguments to those who are so un-placatingly singularly opinionated, i've not a great desire to prove ones affect over anothers. They way I see it is the two are inextricably linked, and inextricably similar, yet recent trends favor alcohol abuse (for that's what it is) over smoking. People are diametrically opposed to the negligible risk of breathing others' smoke, but dont give a hoot about poisoning themselves through other means. If you choose carefully where to spend your evenings you'll find there are many places that are practically smoke-free, and if you were (imho) even more sensible in what you pick and choose, you would find you don't need either.

You may not personally cause any trouble after drinking, and I know a lot of people who don't either, but they still love to get so vomit-inducingly pissed they feel extremely unwell the following day.

Going back to my first post it bemuses that drinking is more socially acceptable than smoking, when evidence suggests to me it is less socially acceptable - the way it is undertaken and acclaimed by vast numbers of people in this country.

[Ben_]

he's still young so thinks drinking with mates is what life is all about

[Disturbedguy]

Thank god this has happened I hate smoking all those people who walk past and blow it in your face and for me..its disgusting as it chokes me.

I cant wait to walk around in a smoke free environment!

[99Flake]

How about this for a sensible idea?

Smoking pubs for smokers and non smoking pubs for non-smokers.

Basically in a smoking pub there is no room for non-smokers therefore if they choose to go in they cannot moan about inhailing second hand smoke. Give people the choice of one or the other but not halfway houses.

And if you mention what about the staff etc etc Make sure people who don't mind only work there.

Personally I can see this as what is going to happen. The ban is on public places, there is nothing to stop someone setting up a private members only bar which allows smoking.

[Ben_]

indeed you will still be able to smoke in the houses of parliament bar

[99Flake]

Which is somewhat hypocritical of Mr. Blair and his friends.

[JPreston]

As a smoker I am all for this. Smoking is discusting and its only fair that those who smoke should be forced to smoke outside, away from those who choose not to smoke.

I spent a good few weeks in Canada and it was utter bliss to be able to walk into bars and to breath in fresh air!

...

As an ex-smoker (of about 6 months) I agree with all that, even when I was smoking I used to like non-smoking pubs eg in Dublin.