As a smoker it will affect me, would never ever smoke around anyones kids, in anyone's home including my own, around anyone eating food but do enjoy a smoke with a drink, personally would have liked too have seen maybe a separate room with no bar so staff don't have too enter rather than a total ban, guess the can of worms is now open.........

disscuss

Thats the trouble with this country, it's either one thing or another. No one seems to want to work out a solution.

I *think* its only coming into effect in scotland, not england...yet.

I dont smoke, and dont enjoy being around people who do smoke. Its not nice when you come home from a night out reeking of the stuff.

If people want to smoke, by all means do it, but away from me, and dont expect the NHS to pay for your healthcare if you contract any smoking related illnesses.

(I know a few people who have died from smoking related illnesses, and even this has not stopped their families smoking - its rediculous, given the fact that dying of something like lung cancer isnt quick, painless, and is rather messy from the stories I have heard )

Edit: Just a thought. The ban will only apply in public places (such as bars) and not in private clubs. Our union put forward a motion to ban smoking, the majority said that it should be banned. However the union over-turned it on the grounds that they would loose huge amounts of money. (You think the government is bad!)

[Edited on 15/2/06 by flak monkey]

I perform music in clubs and pubs, and as a non smoker I can say its really awful trying to sing/breath in a busy club, (remember poor old Roy Castle, passive smoking).

Although it sounds great to me , I would be surprised if it applied to clubs , they would only have to ban drinking now and they would be completely empty!!

I know I shouldn't wade into this argument, but what the hell....

I'm not a smoker, but this argument about the NHS always comes up in these sorts of discussions. I think it's important to point out that the cost to the NHS caused by smokers is far far LESS that the amount of tax smokers pay for their habit. If all smokers suddenly stopped, the NHS and other public services would be in trouble.

Here are the stats:

Cost to NHS - 1.5bn per year
Tax paid to treasury - 8bn per year!!

[Edited on 15/2/06 by bilbo]

At the risk of getting into an argument....

"If people want to smoke, by all means do it, but away from me, and dont expect the NHS to pay for your healthcare if you contract any smoking related illnesses."

The same could be said if someone as too come and cut people out of a car after an accident that's there fault ?

I tried too make it clear in the 1st post I'm happy too respect all non smokers and not smoke anywhere near them, separate room.

As a commited anti-smoker I'm pleased about the ban.

I'm fed up with the fact that one of the consequences of going out is that I come back stinking of stale fag smoke.

In addition to that (and I know that some will disagree with this) I think it's pretty well accepted that not only do I now stink of fag smoke I've also damaged my health.

Some places are so bad that I can't stay in them for long.

Now, of course, you could say if you don't like it, don't go in the pub. But should it really be the case that a minority (and it *is* a minority as less than 50% of adults smoke) are allowed to ruin the enjoyment (and adversely affect the health) of the majority.

As for the sealed room business that you mention Jon, I don't honestly think it's very practical. Staff would still have to go in the room to collect glasses, empty the ashtrays(!!!) and, if no other reason, just for security reasons.

All in all I'm glad. Apart from that fact that clubs will now stink of stale sweat instead of stale fag smoke!!!

All the best,
James

P.S. Oh, and it's believed that 700,000 smokers will quit as a result... that can only be a good thing in my opinion!

my girlfriend stopped 5 weeks ago, so its a bit late to help me! But it will make it a lot easier for the 70% of smokers who say they want to stop.

I hate going out and sitting around a table with friends (most of which smoke). If one smoked that would mildy annoy me but the thing with smokers when they drink (and in general) is that they ALL LIGHT UP AT THE SAME TIME I have nothing against people smoking, just wish it was only allowed in private/outdoors. My freshly washed hair stinks after a night out

I still think alcohol is worse than smoking yet the laws on that seem more lenient that ever

I smoked 20 day for 14 years.

Then paid £50 to have hypnosis (locally) - I haven't smoked since.

I always said I'd quit before 30.

I'm 30 this year. I think people should have the freedom of choice.

PASSIVE SMOKING? Last of your concerns if you live in an urban area - pollution is worse!

Also - I'm sick and tired of the 'SPIN' on smoking - if it wasn't FOR smokers - the country would be bankrupt...

Interesting to see how it pans out.

That's just my opinion - I do not wish to offend those with a different opinion

Nice quote of facts there bilbo

Hey lets consider this,

"I dont like noisy exhausts, noise pollution is a shocking blight on our peace, in fact lets stop people running modified cars at all, one of those modified cars ran over my mother/dog/budgiriggar, they all go too fast, so if they crash lets not give them healthcare, if they are involved in an accident its their fault cause they where using a modified vehicle, remember Kirsty Mcoll she was killed by a modified vehicle"

Think about it!

hi if everyone stops whare is the guverment going to get the tax from. thay will get it out you sum how

quote:

---

Originally posted by locogeoff
Nice quote of facts there bilbo

Hey lets consider this,

"I dont like noisy exhausts, noise pollution is a shocking blight on our peace, in fact lets stop people running modified cars at all, one of those modified cars ran over my mother/dog/budgiriggar, they all go too fast, so if they crash lets not give them healthcare, if they are involved in an accident its their fault cause they where using a modified vehicle, remember Kirsty Mcoll she was killed by a modified vehicle"

Think about it!

---

Smoking should be banned fully if you think about it. Smoking any other drug is illegal. The only reason it hasn't been totally banned is that so many people do it.

There is nothing else that you are allowed to do in public that can affect my health and on that ground alone, smoking infront of non-smokers should not be alowed.

Smoking kills half of its users. It damages the health of the others as well as of many non-smokers. Other people's smoke causes serious illness in 1 in 4 non-smokers who live in the same house as a smoker. Serious illness upto and including death.

Smokers often use the flawed arguement that they have a right to choose to damage their own health if they are that stupid. they miss the point. Smokers don't and should not have a right to damage or risk my health. A smoking ban is to protect me from the likes of you, not to protect you from yourself.

In time smoking will be completley banned. Not soon enough.

i work in a shop that self them so i see alot of people coming to buy them they look old and really ill and sound "rough" i am glad of the ban if it stops people doing it but as it has been said they should do something different and not a full ban also working in shop where boss smokes and i smell of smoke after work if it was a pub wouldn't mind but not working in local shop

Tri

I went to Dublin over New years and they have a smoking ban inside pubs and clubs over there.

Problem was instead of smelling of smoke, as soon as you walked in the smell of farts hit you! Took a while to get used to, where as i think im used to the smoke now.

Could have been all the Guiness drinkers though!

I don't think smoking should be completely banned...... just put the tax up another couple of hundred % on fags and let the smokers decide if they want to give up....

This would also help price kids out of starting.

I hate the argument of dont give smokers healthcare! As someone above said, car accident victims shouldnt get help if they crash, footballers if they break their legs...... where would it stop. I think the ban is good even though i smoke. Those who want to still smoke can go outside, those who dont can now stay inside the clubs that stink of vomit and cheap perfume. Woo Hoo.

Sorry Jon but I've got to take issue with you here! I have a lot of respect for most of what you post on here BUT.
You say you don't smoke in your OWN house so why the hell should you have the right to stink out someone elses property? Even if it is a commercial premisis.
The separate room idea is crap too!
One of our local pubs has just been refurbished as a restaurant and sent out flyers claiming "seperate smoking rooms". Being non-smokers SWMBO and I thought we'd giv it a go last Sunday. We still came out after 2 hours stinking like filthy ash trays because the "seperate" smoking room was connected to the rest of the place by a central bar.
ps. The food was Shite too.

[Edited on 15-2-06 by BKLOCO]

Cambridge has had a non smoking pub for the best part of 20 years, people said it would go bankrupt within 6 months but turnover increased . Now there is at least 3 , Must admit I don't use my local very often as I smell like an old ash tray after . Most of my family smoke or have smoked but I do like the choice of not passive smoking . A lot of old pubs had smoke rooms years ago and cinema's had a "smoking side" but smoke drifts into non smoking areas. If people want to smoke that's up to them but do it away from others that don't

quote:

---

Originally posted by locogeoff
noise pollution is a shocking blight on our peace

---

I don't smoke, but I don't mind others doing it


Don't you think there are just too many laws?

Flak and Smart51 think you missed my point

Today its smokers, when are the government going to get round to BANNING non standard cars




[Edited on 15/2/06 by locogeoff]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BKLOCO
Sorry Jon but I've got to take issue with you here! I have a lot of respect for most of what you post on here BUT.
You say you don't smoke in your OWN house so why the hell should you have the right to stink out someone elses property? Even if it is a commercial premisis.
The separate room idea is crap too!
One of our local pubs has just been refurbished as a restaurant and sent out flyers claiming "seperate smoking rooms". Being non-smokers SWMBO and I thought we'd giv it a go last Sunday. We still came out after 2 hours stinking like filthy ash trays because the "seperate" smoking room was connected to the rest of the place by a central bar.
ps. The food was Shite too.

[Edited on 15-2-06 by BKLOCO]

---

I'll let you into a secret Jon....Shushhhhh don't tell anyone else.....I USED TO SMOKE 40 A DAY. sorry did I just shout. There really is no one as bloody sanctimonious (spelling?) as a reformed smoker.

Surely anything that saves even one life is worth it, let alone something that saves thousands.

I might be wrong on this but didnt the government recently downgrade cannabis ?

And now they are saying you cant smoke in pubs

I think i see a market for a smoking internet cafe since the rules only apply to licensed houses as in licensed for alcahol,i could be onto a winner.

Took me a while to work this out so I'm double posting it.

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Triton
Only snag is...ban smoking and those that smoke and you will have to pay more tax
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Work it out though. The figures in the Mirror say £8billion raised in revenue and £1.5billion costs to the NHS. Total revenue raised is £6.5billion per year. Total working population is just over 30million people earning an average wage of £26,000 a year. Cost per individual worker is therefore £216 per year, less than a 1% rise in base rate tax. How much does the average smoker spend of fags? According to the Telegraph £1493. So if everybody gave up smoking at once the average smoker would be nearly £1300 better off and the rest of us £216 worse off. But would the £1280 the smoker saves not be spent on other things? If the total amount saved were spent on other goods then the VAT on that would be £224 a year. 12million smokers each paying an extra £224 a year in VAT is £2.688billion.

So if everybody gave up smoking and spent the money on other stuff, the country would be £3.8billion worse off, which brings the total tax burden per head of working population down to £127 per year, less than a half a% rise in base rate tax.

Gazza,

Don't forget that that would assume that the moment everyone gave up smoking, there would be an instant stopping of smoking related illness, which won't happen. It'll be like asbestosis and go on for years so the costs wouldn't go away.

I like a roll up (well about 20 a day) and you can stick the tax up to what you like, I'll just get it abroad. €4.4 (£3.00) for 50g. UK £10.50 for same. Gordon would lose more than £7.50 tax per pack.

I don't drink so avoid pubs cos I can't stand drunken arses or the smell of beer.

Each to their own!!

ATB

Simon

i smoke but dont mind the ban.i dont drink much but if i go out im sure i can last the night with out a fag.
all they have to do now is cut down on the amount people can drink in pubs/clubs so that when im out enjoying my fag free smokless night i havnt got pissed up idiots ruining the night with there abusiveness and roudy behaviour,yes i know there not damaging my health or doing any harm,well not untill they decide to drive home that is.
i like the idea of a smoking room but i wounder if they will let me bring my slippers and a smoking jacket

i havent bought shop fags for years funnily enough i buy from a wagon driver in my local
i think that tax revenue from fags has dropped dramatically over the last few years so the ban wont really hurt the chancellor too much.

This is just the biggest load of crap again

worrying to much about things like this again which wont change much anyway and not worrying about spiralling crime and yet another women police officer being shot
because our police arent armed

I dont care whether you smoke or not and I dont mind smoke around me but I agree with dave flak monkey

My grandad died of Lung Cancer and Stomach Cancer It was only a couple of years back

lasted over a year he went from quite a tall, standing proud etc man to what looked like a skeleton with a layer of skin, he was still alive and wouldnt have looked far out in the worst of a horror movie words cant explain....

Quit while your ahead its no game with 2nd chance etc!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mark Allanson
I don't smoke, but I don't mind others doing it


Don't you think there are just too many laws?

---