Smoke bans clean up in the home

Banning smoking in public places also leads to a reduction in the amount people smoke at home, new research suggests.

People are likely to implement their own “home bans” on lighting up once new laws come into force.

Writing online in the journal Tobacco Control, researchers carried out surveys between 2003-4 and 2008-9.

The polls involved 4,634 smokers in Ireland, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Before a ban came into force, most smokers had at least partial restrictions on smoking at home, with young children and support for a smoking ban important factors.

But after new laws came into force, there was a rise in all countries in the proportion of people banning smoking at home – up 25 per cent in Ireland, 17 per cent in France, 38 per cent in Germany and 28 per cent in the Netherlands.

“Opponents of smoking bans argued they could lead to displacement of smoking into the home,” the experts said.

In fact, they “may stimulate smokers to establish total smoking bans in their homes”.