Smoking ban extension plan by the government

[LlynTegid]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg79ym5mrzyo

I want less smoking, indeed none of illegal substances at all. Not sure this is the most effective way to go about it, given the Boris Johnson approach to not following rules has taken hold, how it will ever be enforced.

Fines just lead to a risk based response (what is my chance of being caught), the police won't deal with most shop thefts so cannot see them really dealing with selling to those born after 2009, and some of what is a banned outdoors area will be vague in definition.

I don't really see the point tbh. Most of the pubs I go to already have a system in place.
Smoking and non smoking areas outside if it's a big garden, or, if there's a small garden theyre either specific smoking gardens or specific eating areas, with smokers directed off the property.

People will just complain about all the smokers outside the front door won't they?

I'm an ex smoker and in all honesty I think the most helpful thing they could have done is make smoking within a radius of other people's home windows the ban... Yes it's annoying at cafe and restaurant outside when people light up but you can move away or change seat..
At home if you live in flats or detached housing and someone smokes you cannot escape.
Every single time they have their fag you have to close windows, doors etc.
So I think something along those lines would have been better and leave public smoking (except directly outside a and e)

This argument has come up every summer, on every forum I've been on since the smoking ban came in. I guess there are now enough of the people for it to enact it in law.

Feels like low hanging fruit as it will cost the government nothing and tick a box. Not sure what impact it will have on strain/cost to the NHS. As a previous poster pointed out, with the sale of cigarettes being restricted in a higher age each year, this problem will sort itself out over time anyway.

I can't say I'm especially for or against personally as I find it increasingly rare to see people smoking at all and I think landlords can probably police it effectively on their own properties.

To be honest, I'd rather the dealt with the epidemic of weed smoking (altogether, but particularly in public places and in cars/vans). Or at least make it legal and tax it, then they could kill two birds with one stone

Excellent news. No-one should be smoking.

I think time and money would be better spent tackling kids vaping.

Cigarette smoking is on its way out anyway.

I don't think the beer garden argument holds water really. For every smoker who is apparently propping up the income of pub landlords, there are 10 people who avoid drinking there because of the smoke.

We get the use of beer gardens for roughly one sixth of the year if we're lucky in Scotland. Not sure it's a hot talking point for us. Probably much bigger in London etc.

I think that different pubs cater to different clientele and events - so a beer garden with food pub is very different to an evening pub for O18s only with no food or Ltd bar type food - not sure how they can implement different rules although presumably landlords could depending on smoking or non smoking affects their income more - though I guess in reality they'll want any customers they can get.

Ban pubs with gardens.

of course not, but people only moan about them in pub gardens in nice weather.

@Samcro yes because non smokers should be able to go to a pub garden and sit outside without being blasted by second hand smoke?

Nowhere where food is served would be good enough for me. So if that means you have to eat indoors, fine by me. Other than pubs, not on hospital premises indoors and outside.

Well the business will probably be expected to enforce it, so in reality the staff, who will at best likely be ignored and at worst subject to belittling/arguments/aggressive behaviour/abuse as they try to enforce it, and then will be subject to the other side of the argument who will take out their frustrations at those people and their behaviour on the staff and blame them.

Pretty much what it is now with other types of behaviour that aren't really suited to shared spaces, and it'll just continue like that does.

The general public does not take being 'policed' by service staff well in general (we saw that brought into focus during COVID) so it'll just end up being another bone of contention between staff and customers with very little changing in reality.

I loathe smoking as I grew up with heavy smoking parents and have never smoked. I dislike smelling it even outside.

However given the high amount of tax on cigarettes I wonder how this will be recouped. The people who give up might well not die of a smoking related illness but they will die of something and will probably need medical care when they get sick. They will as somebody else has already said might live longer and cost more in pensions as well.

I wonder how well it has been costed.

@Maverickess agreed. They tried separate areas in our local pub and they gave up as all the smokers ignored it (much as i hate smoking its this group that keeps the pub going). Personally I'd prefer to see police stopping the drink drivers that on a weekly/daily basis who leave the car park when over the drink drive limit.

I think it's a great idea and totally welcome it. Smoking is horrid and I don't see why I shouldn't be able to enjoy sitting outside in the pub garden because it's full of smokers.

I hope they ban vaping in public places too.

Everyone said the pub industry was going to fold because of the first smoking ban - didn't happen did it!

Good.

I find smoking disgusting.

I really hate having to smell/inhale other people's smoke outdoors and having to move to avoid it.

I think it should be all public spaces. Just yesterday we sat outside in the sun to eat some lunch on a bench and the people next to us started smoking. Had to move to be able to eat. It impacts on others too much

Well I can tell you that people who smoke should be refused NHS health care. When I had my hip replacement, I was told to lose weight otherwise surgery would not go ahead. I'm not overly obese but enough for them to make me sit up and listen. People are still smoking outside hospitals, some on drips etc despite the signs saying welcome to our smoke free hospital. I questioned this with the trust and they have been told they are not allowed to move them on. It's a joke. You might as well put pound notes down the toilet. That applies to obesity too.

Fat people should be denied healthcare? Yikes!