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Should Smoking be allowed in Public Places?
This article was originally posted on Helium.com and was written for a US based Audience.
The question posed provides a very broad scale, exactly what would be classed as a public place? There are many places that many people would agree should be smoke free, hospitals, supermarkets etc. For the purposes of my argument I shall use the definition of Public Places as defined by the UK's smoking ban. In the UK it is now illegal to smoke in a publicly used building, or any construction that is fully enclosed, a construction must have at least one side fully open, and be provided solely for the purposes of smoking.
Although it has largely been masked by political agenda, the effects of the Smoking Ban in the UK have been more far-reaching than was ever expected. Pubs and Bars are going out of business because people would rather smoke and drink at home, the number of females drugged and raped is on the increase, and Dry-cleaners are going out of business. The issue of women being drugged and raped may seem unrelated to the smoking ban, but unfortunately the increase is directly related, councils will not provide many establishments with a license that would allow their customers to take their drinks outside with them, so the drinks are left behind for a few minutes. Unfortunately this provides easy pickings for the unscrupulous.
The demise of the dry-cleaning industry was not even considered when the ban was being planned, but because buildings are now smoke free, many people do not need to get their suits and clothes cleaned as regularly as they did before.
The closing of Pubs and Bars was considered a risk, but it was always believed that Non-smokers would make up the shortfall of customers, however this has simply not been the case. Many consumers now drink and smoke at home, especially during bad weather, so these businesses are failing.
Interestingly, in the UK, non-smokers seem to want to 'have their cake and eat it', I know of a Pub that had a complaint made to the landlady. The Pub has a small unsheltered, unheated, courtyard with several benches. During the winter months you could see the smokers huddled together having a cigarette, some even going as far as to brave the cold and sit outside. On the warm, comfortable inside were the Non-smokers. However when Summer came, the non-smokers started complaining to the Landlady that they couldn't sit outside because the smokers had occupied all the benches! It seems that smokers have become the lepers of the UK's society, and many couldn't really care where we smoke, just so long as we are not in their way.
I know of many non-smokers who say that the ban has gone too far, you can no longer smoke on Hospital or Council Grounds. Even sitting in your car in the car park will invite a sizable fine if you have a cigarette lit. Why anyone would feel the need to enforce a ban of this magnitude is completely beyond me, the negative effects on our society and our economy far outweigh the projected benefits.
The ban was touted as the day that people would start giving up smoking, but it jsut hasn't happened. Those that did give up have probably started smoking again, those that still smoke are viewed with a sort of distrust, and the government is once again raising taxes on tobacco.
One of the major issues that led to the development of the UK's ban was, of course, health. It was viewed as a way to protect Non-smokers from passive smoking, and to encourage smokers to quit. Unfortunately it has also created a sort of paranoia about second hand smoke, there are now groups asking for the ban to be extended to include all outside areas. Some of these people undoubtedly walk along the side of the road at rush-hour and inhale the thick smog of fumes from the stationary traffic, yet they cry foul as soon as they see someone smoking one cigarette. Britain was supposedly escaping the Class system, but the ban has brought about yet another case of 'Them and Us.'
So would I recommend a smoking ban to any other country? Not if it is to be imposed in the way the UK's has. Require a separate dedicated smoking room in Pubs, Bars and Restaurants or impose strict regulations on ventilation so that smoke doesn't hang in the air. Just don't put people's businesses at risk by imposing an overly broad ban.
I felt that closing this argument with an interesting afterthought might help to carry my point, so here it is. If I could get ten thousand people to sign a piece of paper stating that they believe smoking is good for the soul, or something similar, I could turn smoking into a religion. Given the paranoia about racism and political correctness in todays world, would a ban seem appropriate? Whilst not a religion, smoking does represent a choice someone has made about they way they live their life, it may be an addictive habit, but it is borne out of choice.
This article was originally posted on Helium.com and was written for a US based Audience.
The question posed provides a very broad scale, exactly what would be classed as a public place? There are many places that many people would agree should be smoke free, hospitals, supermarkets etc. For the purposes of my argument I shall use the definition of Public Places as defined by the UK's smoking ban. In the UK it is now illegal to smoke in a publicly used building, or any construction that is fully enclosed, a construction must have at least one side fully open, and be provided solely for the purposes of smoking.
Although it has largely been masked by political agenda, the effects of the Smoking Ban in the UK have been more far-reaching than was ever expected. Pubs and Bars are going out of business because people would rather smoke and drink at home, the number of females drugged and raped is on the increase, and Dry-cleaners are going out of business. The issue of women being drugged and raped may seem unrelated to the smoking ban, but unfortunately the increase is directly related, councils will not provide many establishments with a license that would allow their customers to take their drinks outside with them, so the drinks are left behind for a few minutes. Unfortunately this provides easy pickings for the unscrupulous.
The demise of the dry-cleaning industry was not even considered when the ban was being planned, but because buildings are now smoke free, many people do not need to get their suits and clothes cleaned as regularly as they did before.
The closing of Pubs and Bars was considered a risk, but it was always believed that Non-smokers would make up the shortfall of customers, however this has simply not been the case. Many consumers now drink and smoke at home, especially during bad weather, so these businesses are failing.
Interestingly, in the UK, non-smokers seem to want to 'have their cake and eat it', I know of a Pub that had a complaint made to the landlady. The Pub has a small unsheltered, unheated, courtyard with several benches. During the winter months you could see the smokers huddled together having a cigarette, some even going as far as to brave the cold and sit outside. On the warm, comfortable inside were the Non-smokers. However when Summer came, the non-smokers started complaining to the Landlady that they couldn't sit outside because the smokers had occupied all the benches! It seems that smokers have become the lepers of the UK's society, and many couldn't really care where we smoke, just so long as we are not in their way.
I know of many non-smokers who say that the ban has gone too far, you can no longer smoke on Hospital or Council Grounds. Even sitting in your car in the car park will invite a sizable fine if you have a cigarette lit. Why anyone would feel the need to enforce a ban of this magnitude is completely beyond me, the negative effects on our society and our economy far outweigh the projected benefits.
The ban was touted as the day that people would start giving up smoking, but it jsut hasn't happened. Those that did give up have probably started smoking again, those that still smoke are viewed with a sort of distrust, and the government is once again raising taxes on tobacco.
One of the major issues that led to the development of the UK's ban was, of course, health. It was viewed as a way to protect Non-smokers from passive smoking, and to encourage smokers to quit. Unfortunately it has also created a sort of paranoia about second hand smoke, there are now groups asking for the ban to be extended to include all outside areas. Some of these people undoubtedly walk along the side of the road at rush-hour and inhale the thick smog of fumes from the stationary traffic, yet they cry foul as soon as they see someone smoking one cigarette. Britain was supposedly escaping the Class system, but the ban has brought about yet another case of 'Them and Us.'
So would I recommend a smoking ban to any other country? Not if it is to be imposed in the way the UK's has. Require a separate dedicated smoking room in Pubs, Bars and Restaurants or impose strict regulations on ventilation so that smoke doesn't hang in the air. Just don't put people's businesses at risk by imposing an overly broad ban.
I felt that closing this argument with an interesting afterthought might help to carry my point, so here it is. If I could get ten thousand people to sign a piece of paper stating that they believe smoking is good for the soul, or something similar, I could turn smoking into a religion. Given the paranoia about racism and political correctness in todays world, would a ban seem appropriate? Whilst not a religion, smoking does represent a choice someone has made about they way they live their life, it may be an addictive habit, but it is borne out of choice.
This article was originally posted on Helium.com and was written for a US based Audience.
