smoking ban

IT has been blamed for the closure of scores of pubs – but has cut children’s exposure to second-hand smoke almost in half. Love it or hate it, the smoking ban, introduced in Scotland in 2006 and followed by the rest of the UK soon after, is likely to be here to stay.

But, as governments across the world adopt a variety of versions of the ban, others are watching with bated breath to see what measures will be successful and what should be consigned to the legal scrapheap.

Some countries have already taken the ban a step further than the stringent rules currently in place in Scotland – adding more public places to the list of areas where people cannot smoke and some even prohibiting smoking in private cars.

The Scottish Government insists it has “no plans” to extend the law in the near future, but admits that passive smoking for children travelling in cars is a major concern for ministers. “The successful implementation of the smoke-free legislation has undoubtedly reduced exposure to second-hand smoke among children in Scotland, partly as a result of the greater awareness among their parents and those close to them about the risks of second-hand smoke,” said a spokeswoman for the Scottish Government. “While we have no plans to extend the smoke-free laws to parks or private cars, the Scottish Government is conscious that private cars are now one of the main places for exposure of children to second-hand smoke. In conjunction with our health improvement partners, we are continuing to do all we can to highlight the risks posed by second-hand smoke.”

Pro smoking campaigners have accused the Scottish Government of using the smoking ban as a “politicial issue” and say they believe any repeal of the law would be almost impossible to achieve north of the border.

“The Scottish Government liked to think it was leading the way in introducing the ban first in the UK – as it could change this law when it perhaps felt it had few powers to change others,” said Simon Clark, director of Forest. “It has turned into a political issue and I think we are resigned to the fact that we are unlikely to make much headway in getting the ban reverted in Scotland.”

But, despite a few dissenting voices, the ban in Scotland was widely met with little more than a grumble – turning overnight from a nation that loved nothing more than a fag and a pint to one that could happily enjoy the two, separately.

In other regions, however, a well-intentioned ban implemented by optimistic governments met with severe opposition from angry smokers and publicans.

Smokers in other countries openly flaunt the ban, lighting up in public places and even workplaces without a care. In some cases – such as that of the Netherlands – eventually forcing governments to backtrack on the original ruling. Just this month in Nepal, a local newspaper reported that a ban of a similar kind to Scotland’s was being ignored not only by members of the public, but by lawmakers themselves, who were openly lighting up in the government building where the new law had been decided.

However, although generally law abiding, not all of Scotland’s citizens are in favour of extending the ban.

Critics claim that the anti-smoking lobby’s final aim is to outlaw cigarettes entirely – and believe any further legislation would pave the way for an eventual total ban. We take a look at the development of the anti-smoking legislation throughout the world and consider the options for how far Scotland’s ban could go.