Britain has announced a comprehensive smoking ban plan. The ban will cover most public places, including restaurants and any pub that serves food. It is estimated that only about 20 percent of the pubs would be exempt from the new law as most serve food. If approved, the ban would be phased in over 4 years. While off to a slow start, smoking bans may become the norm in Europe. Scotland, Norway, and Sweden have all enacted laws that restrict smoking, but the British law would be more comprehensive.

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Its really about time. In California, we have had a ban for sometime. I cannot tell you how easy it is to get spoiled in that type of environment. I simply cannot tolerate cigarette smoke any longer. The benefits of not having to breath in all that second hand smoke cannot be overstated. Lets hope it passes.

Banning smoking while sweeping The terrorists have won!

hey fredt you got a light?!?!

so california has been way ahead with banning smoking?!?! so what?!?! should the whole world follow california with its energy management??? then we could all smoke in the dark!!!

this smoking thing is pathetic. they are stealing ALL our rights, one by one.
they ban smoking but allow big pharma to pump out drugs that cause more cancer than smoking. they allow even our food to be posioned with chemicals that cause cancer. the way the enviroment is now you have just as high a risk getting cancer from living in a polluted area than from smoking.

This is just more freedom being taking away from the public. People are more intelligent on deciding what is smoke free and what is not. But the NWO doesn't think so, they decide for you...

I'd say that this would go for most of the modern pubs that are about these days but also might include your old local if (they serve food) so if not your safe for now lol.

After resisting calls to ban smoking in the workplace, instead preferring a voluntary approach from employers, the government has shifted its position.

It now favours a ban for almost all enclosed public areas including offices, factories, cafes, restaurants and most pubs in England within a few years. Wales is likely to go down the same route.

Scotland plans to have a comprehensive ban on smoking in all enclosed public places in force by the spring of 2006.

About 30% of adults under the age of 65 smoke in the UK, according to recent research conducted by Imperial College in London.

An estimated 42% of people under the age of 65 are exposed to tobacco smoke at home and 11% at work.

The issue of passive smoking has been at the centre of an intense debate between pro and anti-smoking groups, with each side contesting the validity of each other's statistics.

Someone in this smoking ban stands to make a lot of money, if smoking can be banned completely it will force the price of tabbaco through the roof.

People will not be prevented from smoking by this action, look at drugs and prositution. However contrabanned always comes at a premium price...

Who would control the multi billion dollar illicit tabbaco trade when the full smoking ban comes about ?...

Probably the people who pay for the pro ban politicians election campaign funds...

I wonder what would happen to the F1,they're have'n a hard time as it is already with the advertising ban on most circuts...

That is a whole other thing no one yet mentioned....I love the sport...
SO....

Ya know, I can't help but wonder why the owners of places don't have the right to make the decision about allowing smoking or not? Isint it an owners perrogative to do with his business as he pleases or has it gotten to the point that we must even be instructed how to run out businesses? If thats the case than the state(or I guess crown for the brits) might as well just consume all private businesses. What the hell ever happened to freedom of choice?

You forgot India, smoking in public places have been banned for some time now.

Surf

I live in Buffalo, NY which is in Erie County. We have had a public ban on smoking for a year now, and I am one of the people that LOVE IT....You see, I have bad asthma and whenever I used to go to a restaurant or bar or bowling alley, I became very ill. I would start wheezing and then usually end up getting bronchitis and pneumonia. Now I realize that this doesn't happen to everyone, and I could very well stay away from the bars and bowling alleys.....But I really do like to go out and eat once and awhile....That also makes me more suseptible to getting cancer from second hand smoke.....Now to all you smokers I ask, don't I have a right to go out to eat without risking my health and my job (sick days)? Do you really want us to expose our children to those risks?

Very well said.

In some places smoke is so bad that you can go in and come out without changining color.

Come on people, if you want to kill yourself go home and do it, not in public places.

Surf

Exactly, Its not taking away your right to smoke, so don't pull that "OMG!!!!! the gov is taking away our rights" garbage, rather its only stopping you from smoking in public pubs where they serve food, there are still other pubs which won't serve food where you can go smoke til your hearts content.
Whist most pubs where you can eat at the moment have non smoking and smoking area's, The smell and smoke still waffs over into the other area's and is generally annoying. Plus you come home and your clothes smell of the horrible stuff
So yea, Why should your addiction take away our right to go out and have a good meal without getting covered in smoke?

I'll give the same excuse for banning smoking in the workplace as well, Why should your addiction affect our working lifes?

I think that the rights issue here involves the business owners and not the patrons. IMHO the owner should have the right to decide whether or not their establishment will allow smoking or not. That's exactly how things work where I live, and there are plenty of smoke free places for non-smokers to "go out". Some businesses always decide to cater to those who don't smoke, so there's always a little something for everyone. I really don't see the problem here. The arguement about not being able to go out just doesn't seem valid.

NASCAR used to be called the Winston Cup, now its the Nextel Cup. Plenty of sponsors and its as popular as ever

They should ban cell phones in cars/suv's and in line-ups at the store. In S. Ont. theres a Wendys that I goto often and after they made it smoke free, no one went there anymore and they can't afford to hire enough help or even keep things fresh. After the freshness became an issue you'll see only 2-4 people in there when before it was 10-20 people.

I also think the people who complain, are the people who drive a minivan, only have one kid and cook 99% of the time, then go in a place and see one or two smokers and complain. Then they never eat there again even though its smoke free or if they do, they complain about the freshness.

I think they should just have vents or certain days and times during the week for smoking. However with all minority freedoms, they go the easy way out and ban, instead of being fair and regulating it since no huge protest will happen.

I don't smoke nor do I like it, but banning is wrong in most cases unless its cell phones and a moving car (death by chitchat).

I'm sure a great many businesses will weigh up the Pro's and Con's of serving food versus banning smoking and will opt for one or the other.

Personally, I don't really care either way, I live in London, and the pollution will kill me.

It does make me laugh when non-smokers ask "Do I not have the right to go to a restaurant and not have to inhale somone elses residule smoke?"

Yes, you have the right to chose which ever restaurant you want to, just make sure you don't drive there.

I can't stand being forced to listen to obnoxious rap and heavy metal "music" when I'm out in public, and I'm sure there are studies that support my belief that obnoxious music leads to violent, antisocial behavior.

So I call for a ban on all rap and heavy metal in public places. Or anyplace where I am.

I don't like smoke, either, but if somebody wants to commit slow suicide, let 'em. Non-smokers, petition the restaurant owners. If there's money to be made by operating smoke-free, they'll get the message.