As you all may be aware, on the 1st of July the laws of smoking are gonna change. The ban on lighting up in enclosed public places presents new challenges for landlords and club owners.
There are fears of decrease in profit and popularity when the new laws are introduced, many club owners and landlords are concerned that they may loose their locals due to the non-smoking law.
Police officers will have the power to issue on-the-spot fixed penalty fines to anyone breaking the new law.
The new legislation means smoking will be banned in work places, pubs, taxis, shopping centre and stairlifts of flats.
But the question is, will this decrease the number of smokers or put a lot of clubs and pubs out of business?
The Government hope it will decrease a lot of the young smokers of our time more than people who have smoked their entire lives, but I neither agree or disagree because I don’t know what the outcome will be.
Hopefully it will decrease the number of people who smoke but people aren’t going to give up that easily.
- Rhian is the Shropshire Star’s teen blogger, speaking out on the issues that interest and affect her.
9 Comments
How stupid is the law these days what about people who live in the flats. people will only give up if the want to not cos they have to and the pubs well bye bye to money cos people like having a fag with a drink
Thia rule has been in Manitoba Canada for a few years now and it’s the best thing out, you can go to a bar without coming out smelling like an ash tray, eat food with out tasting or smelling like smoke, good for the UK it’s about time!!!!
If we look at Ireland you will see that smoking rates have risen since the ban and recreational drinking and smoking has been driven into the home. Many other countries are finding that there’s a rebellion effect and many more, especially younger, people are smoking simply because the ban and the publicity have made it more attractive.
The real way to continue the reduction of smoking is through effective education & encouragement not through demonising and exaggeration as seen in recent TV adverts.
There should be room for everyone in a democracy.
Re Sally’s comments, It is not the best thing out at all, I smoke but I wouldn’t dream of polluting someone’s breathing space while eating etc. It is simply unfair to the smoker as we don’t have a choice, the government are dictating to us yet again. I’m sure many smokers if not all would not smoke in an eating place and what do you do around a town centre with all the fumes from cars? - Hold your breath? Would you like everyone to never break wind near you?, Maybe Tony Blair could tax us on that too as it contains C02 which incidentally if anyone watched the program about global warming has NOTHING to do with CO2, still everyone gets on the bandwagon don’t they. Anyway I’m off for a nice smoke!
With so many pubs going out of business anyway tis probably wont have much effect anyway. People will just spend more time drinking and smoking with friends at home. It’s cheaper anyway and no taxi to worry about.
I Smoke and would luv to give up! but i don’t appreciate all the pressure to do so just because other people dont like it. I think live and let live but lay off the smokers !!! Put more effort into real crimes
It was proved by Government that most people were happy with “restrictions” but never a full ban. They now say that independant polls support the ban but how could they have been independant when they were paid for by ASH & CRUK??
Join the protest at http://www.freedom2choose.co.uk
To answer the question in the article -yes of course it will put pubs & clubs out of business, but it’s unlikely to make any effect on the number of smokers.
People don’t like to bullied & this is exactly what is happening here -bullying by a control obsessed government.
I can understand that some people don’t like the smell of smoke , but you know thinking about it non smoking is pretty well the norm in restaurents anyway.With improved ventilation in pubs there would not be the need for this legislation.I mean some pubs might switch over to non smoking due to customer demand,which is fine.
The law needs to be delayed & modified to prevent the decimation of the pub as we know it.
we could have non smoking pubs , and smoking pubs , that way we have a choice !!!