Smoking heads outside in England
On July 1, England joined the rest of the United Kingdom in making enclosed public areas smoke-free.
from the July 2, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Concerns about freedom of choice
Not everyone in England is convinced that the move is a good idea. Back at the Queen's Head, voted Britain's best pub in 2002, landlord Chris Tomlinson says that while a ban will be welcomed by nonsmoking members of staff and some customers, he has reservations. His restaurant has been nonsmoking for eight years, but he thinks smoking could have remained in the separate bar area.
"There's a certain amount of good in it but I feel sorry for the guys in their 80s who've been coming here for years and smoking their pipes," he says. "Some freedom of choice wouldn't have hurt."
It's that debate about freedom of choice that lies at the heart of this issue. While some smokers complain that their rights are being overlooked, nonsmokers argue that it's their freedoms that are being ignored if they have to socialize in a smoky atmosphere.
But it's not only nonsmokers who welcome the ban.
"I welcome the ban," says Adrian Mallinson, a young man from North Cumbria who is a smoker. "Being in a pub, you get the smell on your clothes and on your chest and it's really rather unpleasant. I stopped smoking for three months, but when I went to the pub, all I could smell was cigarettes and it made me want one."
He's hoping the smoking ban will now help him give up the habit for good. If he does, anti-smoking advocates suggest, he could be one of many, given trends in Scotland, which introduced a ban in March 2006.
"Smoke-free Scotland has been a huge success," says Martin Dockrell, the Policy and Campaigns manager with ASH – Action on Smoking and Health. "Bar workers are healthier, fewer people are smoking, and those who are smoking are smoking less."
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