Can anyone tell me if smoking is banned in UK pubs? I know the ban has created horror in both Ireland and New York City, and has now arrived here in Connecticut. Perhaps I can come home to Sheffield still and enjoy a pint and a fag.

buck you can chug away to your hearts content over here....except in the no smoking bits. ( a no smoking part in a bar is a bit like a no p****ng zone in a swimming pool)

Still killing ourselves in public over here, but not for long!

Hanranans opened once more yesterday and is now a no smoke zone. The Shef telegraph gaive it a good review and if the chicken wings are as they use to be its well worth putting up with some of the pretentious trendies that go there.

Dave

Originally posted by Snook
but not for long!

Really??? News too me.

I can't ever see them banning smoking in pubs,it would just cause to much agro,to many pubs would end up closing and to many people would lose there jobs.
The only reason smoking is banned in Ireland is because when someone who has been working in a bar for years and year and ends up getting cancer (or whatever) through passive smoking,its not the brewery or landlord they claim compensation against,it the government.

Smoking is currently in the process of being "smoked out" (excuse the bad pun) of public places, although I think there should be an outright ban, I don't think there ever will be cos there are certain branches of people would bitch and moan about infringement of their personal right to light up anywhere they want to... :loopy:

Twits, so by their reckoning, we non smokers should suffer their smoke cos THEY have personal rights to smoke?! What about OUR personal right to clean air?! And more importantly our right to not die from passive smoking related illness?! :loopy:

God I need to loosen up, I'm beginning to sound worryingly like t020! :(

I've never smoked in my life (except for secondary smoking) but I do view smoke in pubs as the price of a night in the boozer.

So I'll tend to pick my pubs so I go where the atmosphere isn't TOO thick, but wouldn't want to necessarily legislate to ban it all together in pubs. I dislike the smell I get on my hair and clothes, and do prefer places where they have good air-con or non-smoking rooms.

Where I get REALLY pissy is restaurants or eating areas in pubs. Ban smoking straight away in restaurants. If it's a mixed function place like a pub with restaurant area, ensure that smoke is not detectable in the restaurant area. If you serve food in the bar then just engender good manners in people and hope for the best....

Joe

Ok it's a persons right to kill themselfs by smoking if they choose But... And it's a big But... Not at the exspence of others. :loopy:

More needs to to be done by the powers that be to seperate smokers from none smokers in pubs, clubs, and anywhere else.

it was puffing on Fag's that help kill my dear mum and dad. Kill Smoking Before it kill's you. :thumbsup:

Believe it or not but this issue has been debated here before, once or twice. :D

Try these links to polls and other threads:

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=994

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4212

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4181

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8838

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10014

I hate smoking too but i think it should be banned in places like BUS STOPS!!

I hate it when someones stood in front of you puffin' away and and it blows straight in your face ...and they dont care(no manners) !!

I dont think banning it in pubs will work they will lose trade , and if they have non smoking areas what about groups of friends that are split down the middle!!

Out of my group of friends (15) only 3 smoke so we would have sit with them in the smoking area !! But i do agree with that when your havin a meal !!

now thats just silly you can hardly compare a bus stop to a bar:confused:

There was something in the news about the government considering a ban in all public buildings.

Smoking in pubs i agree should be restricted/baned or at the very least smokers need to be more conciderate for others and think twice befor lighting up in crowded places.

i am a smoker and have been for a good many years now, and information about passive smoking is a relativly new phenominon.
the evidence for passive smoking is based on the fact that there is toxins in cigarettes that could/can harm or kill humans.
but cant the same be said for factorys, Chimneys, fires, car exaust and the like?

with all the Polutants & carcenogenics that are in the air from factorys, fires, car exaust ect, it annoys me when they try to make out that passive smoking has any relivence to people dropping dead from heart deseise, lung cancer and the likes.

A cigarette is 2" long and takes about 3 minuets to burn out.
the ammount of toxins released in to the air from cigarrettes is irelivent compared to the ammount of toxins pumped in to the air from the millions of cars that are on our roads.

so to use passave smoking as an excuse to ban smoking in public is ludacris, as it would be if you were to stop people driving in public places for fear or 'Passave Car Fumes.:loopy:

Originally posted by Nu_Skillz
so to use passave smoking as an excuse to ban smoking in public is ludacris, as it would be if you were to stop people driving in public places for fear or 'Passave Car Fumes.:loopy:

How about using the BMJ's own study the conclusion of which included the following:

Studies based on reports of smoking in a partner alone seem to underestimate the risks of exposure to passive smoking.

The report can be found here: BMJ Report (http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/bmj.38146.427188.55v1?ehom)

Note the word underestimate in the quote, the consequences of passive smoking are worse than first thought.

I completely disagree that smoking should be banned in pubs.

I mean if you dislike smoke that much then don't go to a pub!

Pubs are just about the only public indoor places where you are allowed to smoke! Plus you can have smoking and non smoking areas in pubs so wheres the problem. You should be free to smoke really.

(btw I don't smoke :P)

Sigh, this is a tirewd old argument now, but....

Smokers account for only 1 in 4 of the adult population.

Don't you think it's about time that the smokers found somewhere else to go to carry out their noxious minority habit?

After visiting ireland recently, it was a pleasure to have a drink in any pub and not have smoke wafting around. I found that most of the Irish had now got used to the new banning laws and would not want to revert to allowing smoking in pubs.

I mean if you dislike smoke that much then don't go to a pub!

why should it just be the non smokers who have to go out of there way,,smokers should be more courtious and not smoke round people who dont.

it would be better is if there were bothe smoking and non-smoking as well as the mixed smoking pubs their already is.
everyones happy :)

I think the best thing here is for market forces to make the decisions rather than a nanny state government.

If a few of the bigger chain pubs 'tested' non-smoking outlets to see how they affected business. i.e. if takings were down then people like to smoke in pubs, if takings are up, it's because people flocked to a non-smoking environment.

in time, business would go the way of the money!!

and people will have had their choice!

at some point in time, if smoking pubs were in the minority, (pubs that allowed smoking, not ones on fire!!!), then they could still turn a profit with the die-hards that remain having to go there due to lack of choice.

some capitalist theory in there some where, but a bit of the old liberals aswell!!

"now thats just silly you can hardly compare a bus stop to a bar"


Im not being silly its still smoke being blown in my face no matter where it is...and i dont like it .....

Doesnt bother me in the pub too much but when its directly been blown into your face thats annoying!!

Originally posted by Nu_Skillz
why should it just be the non smokers who have to go out of there way,,smokers should be more courtious and not smoke round people who dont.


yeah but why should smokers be banned from pubs. Think about places where they are allowed to smoke indoors? Not many places! If you are that sensitive to smoke then don't go to pubs or if you do then sit outside!

That attitude is precisely why there will be legislation banning smoking in public places within 2 years!

It can't come soon enough.

Went down west street on Friday walked in 3 bars which were packed and the first thing you could see was an uninviting haze of smoke..........walked straght out again.

I am not anti-smoking I just think that a bar so filled with smoke that you feel uncomfortable as soon as you walk in is less preferable than a bar with no smoke

I went to New York earlier this year and although there was still some negative feelings about the ban in bars the fact that you could walk into a packed bar and still have clean air to breath was a huge plus even to some of the smokers I went with who said going outside for a smoke was not such a big problem when in return you get an atmosphere that is so much cleaner.

I think it is only a matter of time before it happens here as the bottom line is although many are against it to start with it appears to me that most people welcome it after a while which could make it a vote winner?

Now that there appears to be so much evidence that passive smoking is very dangerous, then surely a ban on smoking in public places should be brought in as soon as possible?

But even if a ban doesn't happen, shouldn't people be more considerate of other people now that they know that smoking in a pub is very likely to cause the deaths of non-smokers? I wonder how long it will be before someone takes a smoker to court for causing the death of a family member by smoking in front of them in a pub?

I too don't believe in smoking in restaurants, but a pub is a little different, as long as it's not selling meals. The only time I ever take a drag is with a beer, and that's not often. Smoking is supposedly banned in Connecticut, based on the old TV show Cheers it's a place where everybody knows your name, so as long as there's no strangers in to call the cops, out come the Marlboros.

We have just had smoking banned on one of our beaches here in Oz with a few more beaches set to follow. Doesn't matter about all the syringes that druggies leave behind or all the bottles that get smashed etc: or even dirty nappies (disposable ones) but we MUST NOT smoke on beaches & leave butts behind? Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Liverpool is going to be the first British City to ban smoking in Public places (maybe Brighton too).

It's a good thing in my opinion, especially in restaraunts or eating eares.

Originally posted by ianmitchell
yeah but why should smokers be banned from pubs. Think about places where they are allowed to smoke indoors? Not many places! If you are that sensitive to smoke then don't go to pubs or if you do then sit outside!

Why should they?! You choose to smoke, but people don't choose to breathe - think about it!!! Besides, don't those people who work hard for a minimal wage deserve the right to serve you your hard earned pint without suffering health problems for it!!!!!!!

Originally posted by Red 2
Liverpool is going to be the first British City to ban smoking in Public places (maybe Brighton too).

It's a good thing in my opinion, especially in restaraunts or eating eares.

I didn't know about that. Whens it happening Red? I think banning it Will probably help all my mates who are trying to give up at the moment (5 weeks for me). I know everyone will still want to go to the pub, so will be less tempted to smoke when no one else is.

Give landlords the choice of how they want to run their pub, that's what 3 landlords told me they wanted when the same question was asked of them at the weekend.

Nanny state again (*bangs head against wall*)

And the day any 'get on my soapbox about this' anti-smoking whingers stop driving cars and giving kids asthma is the day I might consider not contributing to your lung cancer. Let's have non-smoking pubs for the non-smokers, smoking pubs for the smokers and people wo couldn't care less can go in both. There, everyone's happy.

Not hard is it?

Originally posted by buck
Can anyone tell me if smoking is banned in UK pubs? I know the ban has created horror in both Ireland and New York City, and has now arrived here in Connecticut. Perhaps I can come home to Sheffield still and enjoy a pint and a fag.

At the moment you are still free to spoil other people's pints by smoking around non-smokers. However, many of us over here are looking forward to the day when we can enjoy the 'horror' of being in a pub without breathing in somebody's foul smelling fag smoke. Hopefully the law will be changed soon.

I hope that answers your question.

I think my solution would make everyone happy Sid. Save you from the horror of fag smoke, and save me from the horror of not going to the pub anymore.

Originally posted by ianmitchell
I completely disagree that smoking should be banned in pubs.

I mean if you dislike smoke that much then don't go to a pub!

Pubs are just about the only public indoor places where you are allowed to smoke! Plus you can have smoking and non smoking areas in pubs so wheres the problem. You should be free to smoke really.

(btw I don't smoke :P)

That's what you think. If you worked out how much of other people's smoke you had breethed in over the years you would be unpleasantly suprised.

73% of the British public are non-smokers yet less than 1% of British pubs are non-smoking. How can this be fair, or have anything to do with 'free choice'?

Originally posted by ianmitchell
yeah but why should smokers be banned from pubs. Think about places where they are allowed to smoke indoors? Not many places! If you are that sensitive to smoke then don't go to pubs or if you do then sit outside!

They wouldn't be. They would just be banned from smoking in the pub. What they did elsewhere would be up to them. It is not about judgeing minority lifestyle choices, but simlply protecting the majority from a life threatening danger they do not seek.

Originally posted by PuressenceUK
I think my solution would make everyone happy Sid. Save you from the horror of fag smoke, and save me from the horror of not going to the pub anymore.

I suppose the landlords would have to issue Michael Jacksonesque face masks to the bar staff to protect them though.

Or easier still employ barstaff who smoke in the smoking allowed pubs?

In all the pubs I frequent all the barstaff and landlords smoke so where's the issue? The non-smoking pubs could employ non-smokers. It's all about freedom of choice here.

Blimey Charlie, it's still not hard is it?

Originally posted by PuressenceUK
Give landlords the choice of how they want to run their pub, that's what 3 landlords told me they wanted when the same question was asked of them at the weekend.

Nanny state again (*bangs head against wall*)

And the day any 'get on my soapbox about this' anti-smoking whingers stop driving cars and giving kids asthma is the day I might consider not contributing to your lung cancer. Let's have non-smoking pubs for the non-smokers, smoking pubs for the smokers and people wo couldn't care less can go in both. There, everyone's happy.

Not hard is it?

So why hasn't this happened already? Landlords have always had this choice yet hardly any have chosen to make their pubs smoke free. What makes you think they will suddenly start doing so now?

They probably won't, which is why the government instead of introducing a blanket ban, should force local councils in association with the main brewing chains to have a 50/50 mix of pubs with smoking and non-smoking policies.

All the people who now hate going to pubs cos of the smoke would fill the nice new nicotine free alehouses, and the smokers get to hurry up their demise in the smoky ones.

This improves business all round as you're not losing the smokers business, and you're gaining lots of new customers in the smoke-free bars.

Tim Martin (the boss of the Wetherspoon chain) is one of those supporting a ban on smoking in pubs, but he says it would be commercial suicide for just one chain to ban it...I would guess that its because the landlords realise that the majority of people who don't smoke don't think about the health risks when they go to the pub and don't think about the long term effects they are going to suffer from breathing in other people's smoke.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/08/nsmok08.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/04/08/ixhome.html

It will happen I am sure of it and I personally don't think it will harm trade..as with most things people will get used to it and before you know it it'll be the norm. Everyone always causes a stir when new legislation comes into force but its soon forgotten. It can only benefit the majority of the population and make public places more pleasant to be in. At the end of the day thats what its all about. Fair enough at the moment smokers have a right to smoke where they want but you make mine (and others) experience in being there uncomfortable..just like it would if you were eating and I let off every 5 minutes in your face. I don't think ANYONE has a right to put my health at risk even if it is in a public place.

I don't know what will happen here, but i spoke to someone from enviromental health who thought that smoking in pubs will be banned within the next three years.

Don't know how reliable that claim is, although i understand there is a large movement within the government to get it banned in all public places... you never know.

Banning smoking would certainly open up some beds in the hospitals.

That's if the NHS could afford the beds with the lost 1.2billion in tax revenue.

400 million to treat smokers, yet 1.2 billion in tax. You do the maths. I don't have a problem with not treating smokers as long as their national insurance premiums go down accordingly and the tax on fags is reduced.

As an ex-smoker myself dunno why I'm playing devils advocate here, it's just an interesting debate!

Originally posted by PuressenceUK
Give landlords the choice of how they want to run their pub, that's what 3 landlords told me they wanted when the same question was asked of them at the weekend.

Nanny state again (*bangs head against wall*)

And the day any 'get on my soapbox about this' anti-smoking whingers stop driving cars and giving kids asthma is the day I might consider not contributing to your lung cancer. Let's have non-smoking pubs for the non-smokers, smoking pubs for the smokers and people wo couldn't care less can go in both. There, everyone's happy.

Not hard is it?

That's cobblers, You can't interchange such things. It's not nanny state at all, it's about giving the majority what they want and encouraging the minority to improve their health.

Spurious points like

Originally posted by PuressenceUK
In all the pubs I frequent all the barstaff and landlords smoke so where's the issue?

and...

Originally posted by PuressenceUK
That's if the NHS could afford the beds with the lost 1.2billion in tax revenue.

... don't really hold water. But then I think you know that ;)

Smoking is filth - done by idiots.

You know it.

Don't defend it - Get real, stop smoking and set a good example to the kids.

It should not be tolerated - one day it won't be.

Like Janet Olsen in Australia, here in the USA our freedoms sre slowly but surely being taken away because politicians are always looking for a small crisis to hide the big ones like Iraq. After smoking what's next? Prohibition again? I was born in Sheffield when the narural colour of buildings was assumed to be black, there was so much smoke coming from the steel mill chimneys, now prople wimp out over the unproven statement that second hand smoke causes cancer. Gimme a break!

And thankfully, since the Clean Air Act which created smog free cities bronchial pneumonia is now a rarity... except in smokers.

Does that tell you something?

Isn’t it funny that all the traditional pubs had smoking and non smoking rooms but with the advent of big one room bars that has disappeared. Most of the traditional pubs down neepsend still have smoking and non smoking rooms.
I SAY BRING BACK PROPER PUBS
:thumbsup:

No, Buck, stay in connecticut, I dont want to breathe your stinking, accrid fag fumes into my lungs. Stay home and poisan yourself and your immediate family! Bring on the ban, the sooner the better! And that goes for you too 'owd lad' (from the PC brigade!)
:clap: :clap:

why dont the goverment just go the full distance, and ban smoking alltogether?
instead of toying with this stupid idea of banning it in pubs.

ohh i get it now,,,they wont do that because they are making all that money in tax from tobacco.:rolleyes: 'silly me'

so now what? something has to be done, medical experts are pushing this 'Passive Smoking' idea arroud and now the general public are at it too. :(
hmmm let me think!!!
ahhh, i got it!, what they should do is ban smoking in certian places, and this will get the medical department off their backs for a while and also at the same time,,,now this is the good bit...
if they do find anyone smoking where the ban is in force, they will hit them with a fine, say £30 for arguments sake.
geniuss.. not only income from sales, but from fines too :thumbsup:

and heres me thinking the goverment actually do care about the publics health. :rolleyes: i mean if they did, it would make perfect sence to ban smoking alltogether.

!

Originally posted by buck
...now prople wimp out over the unproven statement that second hand smoke causes cancer. Gimme a break!

Come on buck, it's hardly unproven, is it?

http://www.roycastle.org/charity/
With around 90% of lung cancer directly related to tobacco smoke and the publication of over 40 studies showing a link between passive smoking and lung cancer, it is clear that prevention is of paramount importance.

You remember Roy Castle, don't you? He of Record Breakers fame? Killed by lung cancer, which he attributed to inhaling 'second hand smoke'.

Originally posted by buck
Like Janet Olsen in Australia, here in the USA our freedoms sre slowly but surely being taken away because politicians are always looking for a small crisis to hide the big ones like Iraq.
It's true that certain countries will pursue an active foreign policy when they're having domestic trouble and vice versa; but in this case, limiting the 'rights' and 'freedoms' of the minority is in the best interests of the majority, not just the electoral elite!

There seem to be various myths and red herring put about by the pro-smoking lobby (eg FORREST etc).

They like to give the impression that smokers pay more in tax than non smokers do, yet if you look at taxes as a whole the average non-smoker pays more. This is because the higher up the income scale you go the less likely people are to smoke. So much for the argument that smokers are somehow buying a right to smoke where they like because of tax paid. In reality, the people who pay most tax are the ones whose rights are being ignored.

Secondly, it is highly spurious to say trade will be lost in pubs etc if smoking were banned/non-smokers protected (whichever way you like to view it). There has been no loss of trade at Meadowhall since they banned smoking. Also, if it is introduced in all pubs, hotels etc then trade cannot go from one place to another.

You remember Roy Castle, don't you? He of Record Breakers fame? Killed by lung cancer, which he attributed to inhaling 'second hand smoke'.

Roy Chubby Brown has not long since been treated for 'Throat Cancer' and its belived that passave smoking was a cause.
if im not mistaken, Roy Chubby Brown is a non smoker.

this dosent supprise me tbh, a lot of the venues he has performed at dont have a 'No Smoking' rule.

Like i have mentioned in an earlier post, the only real solution would be to ban smoking all together.
what is the wors that could happen?
you would get all the smokers (inc myself) annoyed for a few months.
but i think the majority of smokers would welcome a complete ban, after all trying to kick this habbit is not always easy, everyones 'will power' is diferent and its a lot harder for them to resist, especially when they sell ciggarettes in most places.

and as for those Nicotine patches, have you seen the price?
maybee now passive smoking is on the increase,
it would be a good idea to give Nicotine patches to smokers for free, just like they have with Condoms in order to prevent 'unwanted babies, sexual transmitted desieses.
just an idea! ;)

Originally posted by Nu_Skillz
Like i have mentioned in an earlier post, the only real solution would be to ban smoking all together.
what is the wors that could happen?
The bootleggers and smugglers make a fortune and the government receives nothing in tax.

Chris. 3 days without a fag. :D

Originally posted by slimsid2000
There seem to be various myths and red herring put about by the pro-smoking lobby (eg FORREST etc).

They like to give the impression that smokers pay more in tax than non smokers do, yet if you look at taxes as a whole the average non-smoker pays more. This is because the higher up the income scale you go the less likely people are to smoke. So much for the argument that smokers are somehow buying a right to smoke where they like because of tax paid. In reality, the people who pay most tax are the ones whose rights are being ignored.

Secondly, it is highly spurious to say trade will be lost in pubs etc if smoking were banned/non-smokers protected (whichever way you like to view it). There has been no loss of trade at Meadowhall since they banned smoking. Also, if it is introduced in all pubs, hotels etc then trade cannot go from one place to another.
i thought there was a smoking area set aside at meadowhall :loopy:

Thought this might be an oppertune moment to re introduce...
'Allen carrs easy way to stop smoking' - it worked for me...
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12584
:thumbsup:

Originally posted by draggletail
Thought this might be an oppertune moment to re introduce...
'Allen carrs easy way to stop smoking' - it worked for me...
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12584
:thumbsup:
do you get a fee for everyone who stops then:P

Lets be fair, are there any smokers here that honestly love smoking? is there anyone that doesn't ever want to give up?

if you accept that you will one day give up. then you must also accept the fact that it's a horrible habit. if you accept that then you must accept that non smokers have a right not to experience our smoke.

Anyone agree?

Panda - no, mate i'ts just that 10 years on, still high as a kite to have stopped so easily, and genuinely want to share it with anyone who may benefit! No worries!
Dare to believe:thumbsup: :clap:
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12584

Draggletail, that's a good thing to hear. I've managed 5 weeks and i'm made up. if i ever end up smoking again, i'll hate myself. I can't wait to cal myself a non smoker so I can argue genuinely against smoking in public places.

there are arguments for banning it completely. But that is the nanny state at it's worst. As long as it doesn't harm me I see no reason why rational adults shouldn't be allowed to poison themselves as they wish.
Banning it would only create a massive illegal market for cigarettes anyway and loose the tax revenue made on the sale. And the people would still be ending up in hospital at the end of it all, better if they've paid for their treatment through the tax in the first place.

hear hear!

What's to stop them banning other "poisons" then, such as alcohol or cars or the sun (dangerous UV rays) - ?

I am a smoker and would happily pay more to sit in a smoking area at a pub, away from non-smokers. I do not wish to give anyone else any nasty diseases, and know people who have suffered. However, I believe my right to poison myself is still a right. (right?)

Originally posted by panda79
i thought there was a smoking area set aside at meadowhall :loopy:

Yeah, it's called outside!!!!! ;)

Originally posted by Dick Dastardly
Yeah, it's called outside!!!!! ;)
theres always some smug gits about :o

Originally posted by Andy78
Draggletail, that's a good thing to hear. I've managed 5 weeks and i'm made up. if i ever end up smoking again, i'll hate myself. I can't wait to cal myself a non smoker so I can argue genuinely against smoking in public places.
Good on you, Andy - keep it up! You're on patches, arent you?

i agree with an earlier message by nu skills.

i hope you non smokers realise that by doing this the government will be shooting themselves in the foot and ultimately the less smokers there are in the UK the more likely that taxes will increase and by a significant amount

so, let us smokers be, i mean, everyone will die at some point and cancer does not choose smokers or non smokers, i know speaking from experience, my sister died only last year of cancer, she was a non smoker and a non drinker!!!

Originally posted by Sanderson
i agree with an earlier message by nu skills.

i hope you non smokers realise that by doing this the government will be shooting themselves in the foot and ultimately the less smokers there are in the UK the more likely that taxes will increase and by a significant amount

so, let us smokers be, i mean, everyone will die at some point and cancer does not choose smokers or non smokers, i know speaking from experience, my sister died only last year of cancer, she was a non smoker and a non drinker!!!

Nobody wants you to stop smoking. You're right, the more you smoke the more you pay in taxes. :loopy:

What we want you to do though, is smoke somewhere away from non-smokers. If this ban goes through it will prevent people smoking in public, enclosed, spaces. You can smoke as much as you want otherwise.:D

i agree in theory, but by banning smoking in all public places, such as pubs would be against our rights would it not??

Originally posted by Sanderson
i agree in theory, but by banning smoking in all public places, such as pubs would be against our rights would it not??

Possibly, but banning smoking in public places would mean that my rights would be restored.

arguing our rights is a bit of a moot point. Rights are usually invented to win an argument. I could argue that i have the right to stab someone who annoys me. Maybe I do, but laws exist to prevent me. In the same respect, when it comes to banning smoking in certain areas, rights will not be considered. If a law is passed, then we must obey it. If such a law makes 75% of the population happy then it's fair enough really. If it was put down to a democratic vote, the same decision would be reached.

People smoke because they are addicted to it. So they will find other places to smoke if needs be. It's true that the government will not ban smoking all together, as they are reliant on the tax. However, just because the government relies on the tax doesn't mean that smokers can smoke anywhere. After all it's not like smokers choose to pay tax as a gesture of generosity towards the country. It's not a moral decision. Again, they pay the tax because they are addicted and have no choice.

I'm a smoker. Therefore I enjoy a cigarette with my pint. But not everyone does and not everyone wants to enjoy MY cigarette with their pint. But I still do smoke in the pub. So this isn't a post about "right to clean air" by any stretch of the imagination.

My non-smoking friends are usually accepting of us smokers, as long as all the smokers don't light up at once. (that's not to say they wouldn't prefer if we didn't)

But to be honest I wish smoking would be banned in pubs. As long as a sheltered area to pop out for a fag (not necessarily enclosed, just a canopy) is provided wherever possible (out the back door for instance) for when it rains. And ashtrays provided there so the street out the front doesn't become an enormous ashtray (a problem in Eire since the ban apparently)

It would certainly cut down on the number of cigarettes I smoke whilst in the pub so that's a good thing for me.

Originally posted by panda79
theres always some smug gits about :o

Sorry, but I couldn't resist!! :D

Seems as if alls not well with the ban in Ireland.

See this



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=732&e=3&u=/ap/20040707/ap_on_re_eu/ireland_smoking_pub

Originally posted by owdlad
Seems as if alls not well with the ban in Ireland.

See this



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=732&e=3&u=/ap/20040707/ap_on_re_eu/ireland_smoking_pub

A major insurrection is underway, by 1 pub. :D

Originally posted by owdlad
Seems as if alls not well with the ban in Ireland.

See this



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=732&e=3&u=/ap/20040707/ap_on_re_eu/ireland_smoking_pub

I hope the landlords concerned get a stiff fine for what they are doing to make an example of them. If they get away with it it will be the thin end of the wedge.

Originally posted by Sanderson
i agree in theory, but by banning smoking in all public places, such as pubs would be against our rights would it not??

What rights are these exactly? Show me where it says you can smoke anywhere you like and to hell with others. I don't know of any such right in English law.

Well a new MORI poll (http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=819421) has resulted in 64% wanting smoking to be banned in public places.

The days of smoking in public are very definitely numbered.

Originally posted by Agent Dan
However, I believe my right to poison myself is still a right. (right?)

There speaks the voice of a true nicotine addict! Defensive and self-righteous, as always

That's OK Draggletail, I'll stay here and enjoy warm summers by the pool, cold winters ay the Vermont ski slopes,and think about the Sheffield I knew here in our wide open spaces, not crowded by 55 million people in a place the size of Florida, and guess what ,we'd make you more welcome than you appear willing to welcome an expat.

Enjoy it whilst you can, buck - you know your years are numbered:(
What is all this 'welcoming' stuff - you pose a question about smoking in th UK - what d'you want - arms open and a hug?
:loopy:

I think people should have the right to choose whethervthey smoke or not.

You do have the right to smoke, that is not in question. However rights do not make you immune to laws. So if a law was introduced banning smoking in pubs, you'd have to deal with it. As we've mentioned you your right to smoke (i'm getting sick of using that term) is no more important than the majority of peoples 'right' to live in a smoke free environment that doesn't damage their health.

To put it more simply, you are no more important than anyone else! if 75% of the population don't smoke, then it is obvious that banning smoking in public places including pubs/bars, would be in the interest of most people.

Now, if both smokers and non smokers have equal rights (remember, no one is more important than anyone else), then they effectively cancel each other out. So anyone wishing to argue , please forget about rights, that argument is void.

So please feel free to refer to the above facts, and come up with a counter argument, that isn't self centred and based on the fact that you want to smoke so screw everyone else.

I think the argument for banning smoking in public places is pretty watertight. I still consider myself a smoker and have always held the above beliefs. I just respect other people as well as myself.

I feel pretty sure that it will be banned in the near future,and personally the sooner the better.
I feel the one sure way of speeding this up woul'd be for a worker to begin legal action against the goverment like has happend over in Ireland.
This woul'd soon change the present approach of leaving it up to the individual landlord.

the rights argument is valid, and does not balance out.
It comes out on the side of the non-smoker.

The difference between the right to an action and the right not to be harmed is that one is passive (ie not being harmed should require no action on my part) and the other is active (smoking requires you to actually do the deed).

Thus my right to be safe outweighs someone else's right to take an action.

You can use a silly analogy to make the point clearer. I may have the right to wave a snooker cue around in the air, but other people have the right not be hit in the head by it. If I cannot wave it without hitting them, our rights do not cancel out, their right takes precedence.

Open arms and a hug, only make sure you're wearing a deoderant!!

God let's just ban it?

Originally posted by buck
Open arms and a hug, only make sure you're wearing a deoderant!!
Good luck to you, Buck, anyway - I don't like to get too scabby with folk, had a bad day:thumbsup:

Originally posted by buck
Open arms and a hug, only make sure you're wearing a deoderant!!

No point in the deodorant, the stale fag smell on your breath, in your hair and on your clothing would overpower it.

Mmmmm... Nice!

my sister works in a restraunt, and she says that a lot of the older staff who work their suffer from smoking problems

This is a genuine question and not an attempt to make a point.

Why, when smoking is banned somewhere, do smokers stand just outside the non-smoking area with the door wide open allowing smoke to drift back inside? Why not close the door behind them? Afterall, they can still smoke just as much with a door closed as with one open.

Also, why do they exhale their last breath of smoke into the non-smoking area just as they are coming back inside. I would be intersted to hear from any smokers who could explain this to me.

Originally posted by slimsid2000
This is a genuine question and not an attempt to make a point.

Why, when smoking is banned somewhere, do smokers stand just outside the non-smoking area with the door wide open allowing smoke to drift back inside? Why not close the door behind them? Afterall, they can still smoke just as much with a door closed as with one open.

Also, why do they exhale their last breath of smoke into the non-smoking area just as they are coming back inside. I would be intersted to hear from any smokers who could explain this to me.
Usually because it is cold and wet outside !!!

They keep the door open to feel some warmth not not let smoke in. As for breath of smoke, they honestly don't notice, it is not designed to upset you.

I think all public areas should be non-smoking to encourage people to smoke less.

I understand that every adult has the right to smoke but it is also one of the best ways to damage your health.

Just as the government encourages healthy eating and more exercise, they should discourage smoking for the health of the nation.

They leave the door open 'cos they don't want to feel isolated from the rest!:D

Originally posted by draggletail
They leave the door open 'cos they don't want to feel isolated from the rest!:D

I thought that was the whole point of non-smoking areas, to keep smoke away from non-smokers.

Yes it is, and I am agreeing with you:nod:

I heard from a lady from northern Ireland yesterday who said that the southern irish pub smoking ban, had caused such a rise in custom that the local pubs on her side of the border had banned smoking too. It seems that the majority of people who would have never gone into the pubs because of the smoke are filling the places up much more than the smokers did.
And with Italy [unbelievably] folowing suit with a bar smoking ban, it can surely only be a short matter of time for our [UK] freedom from smoke? :clap:

The smoking ban can't come soon enough for me,nothing worse that breathing in stale smoke from fag addics.
Just a shame the ban will not be in place before 2008 in places which serve food,why the wait??
Still will be fun watching the smokers stuck outside in the pouring rain lighting up ,poor sods.:D

Tuesday I went in the bank. I was stood at the back of the queue & the next chap in, who had just docked his fag, blasted the last lungfull out into a cloud around me. Filthy dog.
I had to put my nose & mouth into my t-shirt - I looked like a bank robber!:o

Yesterday I had a couple of hours in the local boozer with some mates I used to work with.
Today I can hardly nose-breathe & am gozzing up loads of thick phlegm... :thumbsup: Thanks smokers.

As for smokers paying more tax... what tosh :mad:

How about this ... (you do the calculations...)

Scenario.........
If 10 people work in a busy department & 5 of them are smokers.
The smokers club nip off for a 15 minute (extra) fag break;
say for this issue, 4 times in a shift.

That's 1 hour a day NOT working. Being paid for nowt. while their non smoking collegues cover for them / carrying them at no extra wage & no extra break entitlement.

That 1 hour a day smoking-club is 5 hours a week (ish) depending on shift patterns.

THAT'S A WHOLE FULL TIME POST THE COMPANY IS PAYING FOR, JUST TO STAND OUTSIDE (OR SOMEWHERE) SMOKING!!!
So the non-smokers, over the week, are actually doing the work of 2 people.

:loopy: Smokers should not be employed. They are a drain on resources & add stress to everyone else's day :rant:

I once asked in my department previously if I could save my non-smoking fag breaks up & have a day off in lieu...
Imagine the anger of the prissy little ward sister who was also the head of the smoker's convention :confused:

i take just as many breaks as smokers, I have a coffee, read all the posts on here. I just don't have to go outside and freeze my ass off.

Originally posted by Cyclone
i take just as many breaks as smokers, I have a coffee

Me too.
My job used to involve me visiting hospitals/labs/military all over UK and my time was charged at £90/hour. When my host at the site said they were going out for a fag, then I didn't see why I couldn't step out into the fresh air [up wind of course] and with a coffee too. So if you think about it those 15 minute fag breaks cost somebody £22.50..

2 exceptions - lucky you guys.

In a busy NHS department everyone can't just up & off together though. We weren't visiting the dept, we were working in it.

If we made a coffee then the smokers would get one too.

double double

see my meaning?

I worked a works do the other night and the smoke was awful,the reason was that the room was no smoking because the people there were having a meal so they had to come into the foyer to have a fag.
Now as doormen we were in this area and at the end of the night due to the bloody smoke I actually had cravings for some fags even though I stopped over 10 yrs ago.
I also reaked of fag smoke,god can't wait till it's banned .

Originally posted by Don_Kiddick
2 exceptions - lucky you guys.

In a busy NHS department everyone can't just up & off together though. We weren't visiting the dept, we were working in it.

If we made a coffee then the smokers would get one too.

double double

see my meaning?

As an NHS worker you should know better than to smoke in the first place. If hospitals can't be healthy places then where the bloody hell can??:rant:

Originally posted by slimsid2000
As an NHS worker you should know better than to smoke in the first place. If hospitals can't be healthy places then where the bloody hell can??:rant:

Erm, I don't think he does smoke sid.

Smoking in pubs is on the increase again now....AND RIGHTLY SO!:)

Smoking in pubs is on the increase again now....AND RIGHTLY SO!:)

.......It's not though, is it!?

Smoking in pubs is on the increase again now....AND RIGHTLY SO!:)

Wrong, wrong, wrong! IMO the smoking ban was THE best thing the previous Government ever did.

.......It's not though, is it!?

Of course it is. Some countries on the continent are now almost totally ignoring the ban. Even local pubs are allowing it more.

I smoked in two pubs in Sheffield over the weekend. It was fun!

I smoked in two pubs in Sheffield over the weekend. It was fun!

Really? I'm surprised a land load would risk it.

IMO if any Landlord is silly enough to allow smoking in his premses he deserves to get caught and have his license took off him.

IMO if any Landlord is silly enough to allow smoking in his premses he deserves to get caught and have his license took off him.

Why not let the Landlord decide? Good for business or bad for business? If you don't like it go to another pub. The phrase horses for courses springs to mind.

Why not let the Landlord decide? Good for business or bad for business? If you don't like it go to another pub. The phrase horses for courses springs to mind.

Because the Labour Government, which at the time set the laws athe Queen's approval, decided for him.

Like I said, best thing they ever did IMO.

Smoking in pubs is on the increase again now....AND RIGHTLY SO!:)


Hi Phil, just off down the local for a pint and a relaxing smoke, get my annual bonus this month so I may have a nice big cigar!:cool:

I smoked in two pubs in Sheffield over the weekend. It was fun!

Which pubs Phil?

Really? I'm surprised a land load would risk it.

Them land loads are real chancers

PS Smoking can impair your spelin

Which pubs Phil?

Are you implying that the poster is full of crap?

Are you implying that the poster is full of crap?

You might think that, I couldn't possibly comment!;)

Because the Labour Government, which at the time set the laws athe Queen's approval, decided for him.

Like I said, best thing they ever did IMO.

I agree Rich. I much prefer pubs now they are smoke free. I can take my young one with me.

I don't think the smoking ban will ever be rescinded in the UK. (and although I object to the government interfering unnecessarily in what - IMO - should be the landlord's choice in how (s)he runs hizzer business and the customers' choice of which businesses they choose to patronise) I'm glad that pubs no longer stink of smoke.

In some cases, the smoke smell masked other obnoxious odours ;) - Some pubs now smell of pi88 and puke.

(In the same vein - hazards to public health - I understand that [and this may be urban legend] an analysis of peanuts served in bars showed one sample which contained 19 different strains of urine. Do you think there's any chance of the government intervening and banning pubs from serving peanuts?)

The Dutch have relaxed the 'No smoking' rule - in small mom-and-pop pubs run out of houses. (Apparently, these are quite popular in some parts of Holland.)

Wrong, wrong, wrong! IMO the smoking ban was THE best thing the previous Government ever did.

IMO if any Landlord is silly enough to allow smoking in his premses he deserves to get caught and have his license took off him.

Because the Labour Government, which at the time set the laws athe Queen's approval, decided for him.

Like I said, best thing they ever did IMO.


IMO we know it's your opinion you cluck..stop bloody repeating yourself. :rant:

This thread is actually good reading now from the very begining.

Saint Bruno?