FOREST Online > The Smoking Room

Prison officers object to passive smoking

2006-04-16T13:04:00.000Z

Prison officers in Scotland are threatening to stay out of cells because of the alleged cancer risk from passive smoking. The unrest has prompted prison unions to contact the Health and Safety Executive, the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland and the anti-smoking group ASH Scotland to ask for tests to be carried out in jails to determine how long toxins stay in the air after a cigarette is put out.

Neil Rafferty, Scottish spokesman for FOREST, said the fears over passive smoking had become "obsessive" and "hysterical". He added: "The evidence on the dangers of passive smoking is very, very thin. If prison officers think they are going to be doing serious damage to their health by spending a few minutes in a cell each day, then they have been very badly misled by the anti-smoking extremists."

Source: Sunday Herald (16 April 2006)

France delays smoking ban

2006-04-14T13:01:00.000Z

The French government this week announced it was delaying legislation to ban smoking in public places, and called for months of consultations. Since 1992 bars and restaurants are supposed to have up clearly defined non-smoking areas. In practice the areas are often hard to spot. The restaurateurs' union has expressed concern over the effects of an all-out ban, but economists discounted suggestions it would hurt the service sector.

Source: Scotsman/Reuters (14 April 2006)

Smoking banned in pub doorways

2006-04-10T14:17:00.000Z

Smokers in the Shetland Isles are being warned that if they smoke in pub doorways they are breaching the new ban. Shetland Islands Council's environmental health department spokesman Maggie Dunne said smokers needed to be reminded that smoking in pub doorways, where there is a roof and walls on either side, was breaking the ban. She said once the softly-softly settling in period has passed, smokers will be fined for smoking in these areas as well.

Source: Morning Advertiser (10 April 2006)

Nurse murdered going for a smoke

2006-04-07T14:14:00.000Z

A nurse was stabbed to death yesterday as she went for a walk outside a hospital during her morning cigarette break. The woman, named last night as Cheryl Moss, 33, suffered multiple knife wounds and was left bleeding to death on a path at St George's Hospital in Essex. The path, which leads to Hornchurch Country Park, is often used by staff, who have to leave the hospital grounds to have a cigarette. The hospital has a strict non-smoking policy, which was introduced this year. Staff and patients are banned from smoking anywhere in the hospital grounds.

Source: The Times (7 April 2006)

M&S ban staff lighting up in uniform

2006-04-06T14:16:00.001Z

Staff at Marks & Spencer have been banned from lighting up in public with their uniforms on show. Bosses barred workers from smoking outside stores a week after banning it inside company premises and vehicles. A spokesman said: "We've banned smoking on, and outside, our premises. We've also asked staff not to smoke in the vicinity of stores in their uniform as it doesn't create the right impression for customers."

Source: Daily Mirror (6 April 2006)

M&S ban staff lighting up in uniform

2006-04-06T14:16:00.000Z

Smokers "admit habit is anti-social"

2006-03-29T16:26:00.000Z

Three in four smokers admit their habit is anti-social, according to a study out yesterday. One in five said they felt guilty about their addiction and the same amount believe smoking is not the done thing any more. But the study, for the NHS Smoking Helpline, found that 53 per cent still smoked in the same room as non-smokers.

Source: Daily Record (29 March 2006)

Smokers urged not to smoke at home

2006-03-27T13:25:00.000Z

Smokers in Glasgow are being urged to extend the nationwide smoking ban in public places to their own homes. A project in the city’s east end has seen 50 people sign up to make their homes smoke free since December.

Source: BBC News (27 March 2006)

Scotland begins pub smoking ban

2006-03-26T16:19:00.000Z

A ban on smoking in public places - including bars and restaurants - has come into effect in Scotland. It is being hailed as a step forward for health but critics say it will cost jobs and infringe human rights. First minister Jack McConnell said this was Scotland's "largest single step to improve its health for generations" and a day of pride for the nation.

Source: BBC News (26 March 2006)

Hotels to sack staff smelling of smoke

2006-03-26T04:21:00.000Z

Two leading luxury hotels in Scotland are threatening to sack staff who smell of smoke following the introduction of today's groundbreaking ban on smoking in public places. In a move that goes well beyond what is required by the new law, Turnberry, the five-star Ayrshire golf resort, and the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh have issued strict guidelines to hundreds of staff on complying with the legislation. The guidelines state that employees who want to smoke during an official break must wash their hands thoroughly and either brush their teeth or eat a mint straight afterwards before returning to duty.

Source: Scotland on Sunday (26 March 2006)

Smoking spies set to blitz pubs and clubs

2006-03-18T16:23:00.000Z

Enforcement officers are to go undercover in pubs and bingo halls to catch people flouting Scotland's smoking ban which starts next Sunday. Edinburgh City Council says its officials will dress in "civvies" to spy on customers to ensure the ban is being enforced. In extreme cases, they will follow smokers home if they refuse to give their names so legal action can be taken.

Source: Scotsman (18 March 2006)

Council may take children from smokers

2006-03-12T18:51:00.000Z

One Scotland’s biggest local authorities is threatening to remove foster children from smokers. New rules introduced by Dundee city council will ban smokers from adopting and fostering children under the age of five unless they agree to keep their homes smoke free. Smokers who already have foster children under five in their care face having them removed if they smoke at home.

Source: Sunday Times Scotland (12 March 2006)

"Ban motorists smoking"

2006-03-07T15:55:00.000Z

Two thirds of motorists say they would support a driving and smoking ban, according to survey on the website autotrader.co.uk. Most of the 500 people surveyed said drivers should stub out before taking to the road - with a fifth of smokers agreeing. Nearly as many said that when it comes to choosing a used car they prefer to buy from non-smokers too. A total of 61 per cent said they would prefer to buy a smoke-free car - with a third of smokers admitting they would do likewise. The survey follows news that the Highway Code will carry warnings to motorists regarding smoking and driving for this time in its next edition.

Source: Autotrader (7 March 2006)

5m vow to give up on No Smoking Day

2006-03-05T10:31:00.000Z

A record number of smokers will try to kick the habit as part of this year's annual No Smoking Day, it was claimed last night. Research by NOP for No Smoking Day showed that 41% of smokers in the UK (five million people) were preparing to quit on March 8. It is the largest proportion of smokers ever to attempt to give up on National No Smoking Day, which has been running for 23 years.

Source: Scotland on Sunday (5 March 2006)

JD Wetherspoon ends no-smoking trial

2006-03-03T21:14:00.001Z

JD Wetherspoon has called time on a bold experiment to extend its smoking ban beyond 49 of its pubs after the company faced plunging alcohol and slot machine revenues and a backlash from increasingly disgruntled regular customers. Profits from 37 pubs that were converted to non-smoking dropped by 20% for the three months to January 22 (new pubs are automatically designated non-smoking). Revenues dropped 7.6% with alcohol sales believed to have declined by 17% and fruit machine earnings down by about a quarter. Lower margin food sales grew by about 10% and now represent about 39% of the sales mix at the non-smoking pubs.

Source: Guardian (4 March 2005)

City to ban smoking in play parks

2006-03-01T17:33:00.000Z

Smoking is on the verge of being banned in children's play areas in Glasgow after it was approved by the council's parks committee. Anyone caught lighting up could in extreme cases face a fine of up to £200. When introduced the ban will operate in parks and council-run playgrounds in housing estates. Parks convener, Councillor Aileen Colleran, said: "We decided it'd be a good idea to limit the exposure children have to smoking - both passive smoking and seeing it as a bad example."

Source: BBC News (1 March 2006)

Fag ban "will be a boon to bars"

2006-02-20T08:28:00.000Z

Pub bosses could see a boom in trade when a smoking ban is introduced next year. Takings are expected to increase as families and non-smokers who have shunned pubs because of health fears flock back. Many landlords opposed a total smoking ban, believing trade would suffer as smokers stayed at home to enjoy a cigarette with their favourite tipple rather than drink in a smoke-free pub. But according to Elsa Goddard, manager of the smoke-free Raby Arms, in Hartlepool, pubs will see an increase in trade. Elsa, who has worked in the licensing industry for 15 years, said: "A lot of non-smokers and families who would have stayed away from pubs now come here, and that is a direct result of the change.

Source: Sunday Sun (19 February 2006)

Smoking to be banned in all pubs and clubs

2006-02-15T08:40:00.000Z

Smoking will be outlawed in all pubs, restaurants, private clubs and most workplaces across Britain by the summer of next year after MPs voted overwhelmingly last night to extend a complete ban to England. Only private homes, care homes, hospitals, prisons and hotel bedrooms will be exempt.

Smokers caught lighting up in banned areas face a £50 fine As MPs voted, the Government announced a huge increase to £2,500 in fines for businesses and authorities that fail to stop people smoking in prohibited areas. The original proposal was for a £200 fine. Spot fines of £200 will be introduced for failing to display no-smoking signs. If the case goes to court, the penalty could rise to £1,000.

Source: Daily Telegraph (15 February 2006)

"Let's have a smoke-a-thon"

2006-01-23T22:17:00.000Z

Oscar-winning playwright Ronald Harwood has come out in support of actor Johnny Depp's suggestion of a smoke-a-thon in protest against a public smoking ban. "Let's do it," the former president of both English and International PEN said. "Let's all turn up in Trafalgar Square and have a huge smoke-a-thon. That'll show them."

Source: FOREST Online (23 January 2006)

Lib Dems clash over smoking ban

2006-01-17T18:23:00.000Z

Candidates for the Liberal Democrat leadership have clashed over the merits of a smoking ban.
Sir Menzies Campbell said he would support it, but Mark Oaten retorted: "If you're going to be a liberal, Ming, you can't pick and mix on the subjects you're going to be a liberal on." He was backed by Simon Hughes, who is currently the bookies' favourite for the leadership, who said: "My instinct is always less legislation, less regulation. Personally, I won't be voting for the smoking ban."

Source: DeHavilland (17 January 2006)

More may light up at home

2006-01-16T18:21:00.000Z

Research by University College London claims that parents are more likely to light up at home if they are prevented from smoking in bars and restaurants. Dr Jerome Adda, who carried out the UCL study, said: "Outright bans may not be the optimal policy. Bans in bars may induce smokers to spend more time at home and expose other members of the household, especially children, to smoke."

Source: Western Mail (16 January 2006)

Labour MPs given free vote

2006-01-11T18:33:00.000Z

Labour MPs and government ministers have been given a free vote on bill to ban smoking in public places, increasing the chances of a total ban. Pubs not serving food and members' clubs were to have been exempted from a ban but pressure from Labour backbenchers appears to have prompted the decision to allow the free vote. Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt is expected to vote for a blanket ban.

Source: BBC News (11 January 2006)

MSPs flout no smoking guide

2006-01-08T14:56:00.000Z

Members of the Scottish Parliament have given the go-ahead for a £20,000 shelter at Holyrood that will allow them to continue to light-up at work - in breach of their own guidelines. Despite warning councils, health boards and care providers that building shelters to allow people to smoke outside would “minimise the health benefits of going smoke-free”, the Scottish Parliament has approved one for MSPs. Critics accused politicians of “breathtaking hypocrisy” for failing to follow the rules they have set for others.

Source: Sunday Times (8 January 2006)

Scottish ban could extend to great outdoors

2006-01-01T12:58:00.000Z

Scotland is to have some of the world’s most draconian anti-smoking laws after ministers agreed measures to extend the proposed ban outdoors, to public parks, play areas and outside school gates. Guidelines, published jointly by Andy Kerr, the health minister, and Cosla, will advise councils to apply the ban to any area where children are likely to gather. Local authorities which follow the guidelines will have the power to introduce bylaws to enforce them. People caught smoking in parks or outside school gates would risk a fine.

Source: Sunday Times Scotland (1 January 2006)

Sacked for being a smoker

2005-12-23T17:48:00.000Z

A woman was sacked 45 minutes after starting her new job - because she was a smoker. Sophie Blinman, 21, who smokes five to 10 cigarettes a day, was dismissed on the spot by bosses despite pledging not to light up in the office. Bosses at Dataflow Communications in Wells, Somerset, said: "If someone is found to smoke, even in their own time, they will not work for the company. Legally, we're entitled to do this. It's positive discrimination, and we're proud of it."

Simon Clark, director of smokers' rights group FOREST, said: "It's one thing to have a no smoking policy, another to refuse to employ a smoker. What's going to happen next? Are firms going to refuse to employ fat people? It is straightforward discrimination, but it appears smokers are the one minority group with no rights whatsoever."

Sources: Daily Mirror, Yahoo News (23 December 2005)

Surgeon calls for pub drink limit

2005-12-12T09:23:00.000Z

A surgeon has called for pub landlords in Scotland to limit customers to three drinks per visit in order to tackle alcohol abuse. John Smith, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said it was the "logical step" following the ban on smoking in public places.

Source: BBC News (11 December 2005)

Smoking age limit could be raised

2005-12-04T08:33:00.000Z

The minimum age for buying tobacco in Britain could be raised from 16 to 18. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the move, if adopted, would bring buying tobacco into line with the current minimum age limit for purchasing alcohol. Smokers' lobby group FOREST said they did not object to a rise "in principle".

"Smoking should be seen as an adult activity," FOREST director Simon Clark said. "Anything that can discourage children from smoking has to be a good thing. The problem is implementation. It would be one of those laws that would be difficult to enforce. You could have sex at 16 but not a fag afterwards."

Source: The Observer (4 December 2005)

WHO bans recruitment of smokers

2005-12-01T20:31:00.000Z

The World Health Organisation says it will no longer recruit smokers. New vacancy notices now carry a stark warning to candidates for any posts worldwide: 'WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or other tobacco users.' The new policy will not apply to existing WHO employees but they are being encouraged to quit.

Spokesman Iain Simpson said the recruitment ban on tobacco users had been checked with lawyers and was not discriminatory. But a leading Swiss anti-smoking campaigner Jean Charles Rielle said he felt ill as ease with the move. "As a doctor, I cannot accept that a person suffering from a dependency should be excluded if they are able to carry out the objectives set by the company."

Source: AFP (1 December 2005)

Off duty smoking under attack

2005-11-29T15:03:00.000Z

Anti-smoking campaigners are calling for all Greater Manchester health workers to be banned from lighting up in public - even when they are off duty. The calls come after health bosses in Suffolk announced plans to sack staff caught smoking, while wearing uniform or identity badges even if they are off the premises or in their own cars. As well as all staff, the suggested ban would cover volunteers, patients, visitors, contractors on health premises.

Dr Kalish Chand, regional representative of the British Medical Association, believes such a hard line policy may damage prospects of a smoking ban in public, he said: "I am all for a ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces but I think this goes too far. Doctors are role models and it would be damaging for them to be seen smoking by patients but they are individuals with rights."

Source: Manchester Evening News (29 November 2005)

Passive smoking: science or alchemy?

2005-11-29T13:35:00.000Z

One of the hardest-hitting advertising campaigns on passive smoking in Europe has been unveiled in Scotland. The TV commercial shows a woman sitting in a smoke-filled bar, then being treated in hospital and, in the last image, dying from cancer. It’s part of a £750,000 advertising blitz ahead of the ban on smoking in all enclosed public places, which Scotland will launch in March.

Meanwhile, writing in The Times, former Scotsman editor Tim Luckhurst writes, "As MPs choose today between partial or total bans on smoking in public places they must ask themselves whether lying to promote a cause is ever legitimate. The question is urgent because the claim that secondary smoking kills is alchemy, not science, and honest anti-smoking lobbyists know it.

"The theory that cigarette smoke kills non-smokers was dreamt up 30 years ago by anti-smoking activists; only after inventing it did they attempt to prove it. Dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies have followed. All point to a compelling consensus that there is no causal link between passive smoking and fatal illness."

Sources: Glasgow Herald, The Times (29 November 2005)

CMO's anger at partial ban

2005-11-25T04:53:00.000Z

The government's chief medical officer (CMO) has told MPs that he had considered resigning after ministers decided against imposing a total ban on smoking in pubs and clubs in England. Professor Sir Liam Donaldson told the House of Commons' Health Select Committee that ministers' decision to ignore his advice to impose a total ban on smoking in public places had put Britain "amongst the laggards of public health policy making internationally instead of the world leaders".

He said: "I think the present proposal, which is a partial ban, is unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. It leaves those most exposed to second-hand smoke unprotected. It loses out on the opportunity to reduce the prevalence of smoking and ill-health from second-hand smoke as a consequence. "

The CMO added there was even greater need for a total smoking ban with the advent of extended opening hours for pubs and clubs, which would expose bar workers to other peoples' smoke for even longer periods.

Source: Guardian (24 November 2005)

'Get tough' on unhealthy lifestyles

2005-11-23T05:29:00.000Z

A poll of more than 2,000 people by private health provider Bupa found 34% supported charges for treatment for people who smoke, drink or are obese. More than four out of 10 favoured some sort of penalty for people they considered to have self-inflicted health problems. And 8% said people who led an unhealthy lifestyle should be denied treatment.

The survey, which came ahead of Bupa's annual health debate, also found that 47% of people believed the government should increase taxes on cigarettes and alcohol.

Source: BBC News (22 November 2005)

Smoke free homes campaign launched

2005-11-21T11:54:00.000Z

Protecting children from the effects of passive smoking is the focus of a new campaign being launched in the East End of Glasgow today. The Smoke Free Homes scheme will aim to encourage more parents to sign a pledge to ban smoke from the family home.

Source: Scottish TV (21 November 2005)

Depp threatens to defy smoking ban

2005-11-20T08:55:00.000Z

Actor Johnny Depp, star of Pirates of the Caribbean and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, has vowed to defy any smoking ban imposed in Britain and attacks similar enforcements in his native America. The actor, who is thought to have a home in the south of England, has cut down on his nicotine habit, but believes smokers should be allowed to quit on their own, without being alienated.

He threatens: "I'll come over and have a smoke-a-thon. They've taken that whole pretzel and stretched it into as absurd pretzel as I've ever seen. Obviously it ain't good for you, and I don't condone it or recommend it, but everyone has to find their own way out of it. The idea of bludgeoning people and telling them that if they smoke they are awful is ludicrous."

Source: Ireland Online (18 November 2005)

AWT "against an outright ban"

2005-11-19T13:46:00.000Z

The new issue of At Home With Antony Worrall Thompson (a 212-page magazine available in WH Smith and other large newsagents) features an article about smoking in public places.

According to the TV chef, who owns two restaurants in London, another in Wiltshire and is also patron of FOREST, "Smoking is legal so we need to make provision for people who like to smoke. I'm against an outright ban but, if necessary, let us have premises that apply for smokers' licenses, then at least smokers and non-smokers know what to expect. Smoking in public places that are properly ventilated seems better to me than people smoking in their own homes with inadequate ventilation."

'The Big Smoke Debate' article also features a quote by FOREST director Simon Clark who argues that a complete ban is "excessive, disproportionate and illiberal" and adds, "The idea that no infant, child or adult should be exposed to secondhand smoke ... is like saying that no infant, child or adult should be exposed to car fumes or dust mites or any level of pollution."

Source: At Home With Antony Worrall Thompson (January 2006)

Anti-smoking attack on Hollywood

2005-11-18T09:08:00.000Z

Politicians from 32 US states have signed a petition urging movie bosses to add anti-smoking public service announcements to all DVD releases featuring stars lighting up. America's National Association of Attorneys General has been fighting for new anti-smoking legislation in Hollywood for many years, previously suggesting all films with smoking scenes should be released with a restrictive R rating.

Daily Mail (18 November 2005)

Statistically speaking

2005-11-16T08:05:00.000Z

One in three smokers in Scotland support new legislation that will outlaw lighting up in public places, figures have revealed. The number of smokers who support the move has gone from 19% to 33% in just three months. The statistics were revealed in the latest of a series of surveys commissioned by the Scottish Executive to measure support in the run up to the ban being brought in March next year. An increasing amount of smokers believe it will help them give up, with 14% saying they thought the ban would encourage them to quit in August, compared to 6% in May.

Source: Daily Mail (16 November 2005)

Submarines exempt from smoking ban

2005-11-15T17:09:00.000Z

Scotland's workplace smoking ban will not apply to submarines at sea, the Scottish Executive has revealed. Workers are set to be allowed to light up in designated smoking rooms on Navy subs and refuelling vessels following a request from the Ministry of Defence.

Source: BBC News (15 November 2005)

Bad diet now beats smoking

2005-11-15T10:55:00.000Z

Bad diets have overtaken smoking as Britain biggest health burden, with the ill- effects (allegedly) costing the NHS £6 billion a year. A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has concluded that the Health Service must now focus more closely on tackling poor diets, highlighting their link to ill-health.

Source: Scotsman (15 November 2005)

To smoke or not to smoke

2005-11-14T10:38:00.000Z

A stunned Italian actor had to stub out the cigarette he had lit up on stage after a spectator complained, forcing the theatre to change the script of an Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge to make it smoke-free. After a 15-minute suspension, the performance resumed with a modified script and a non-smoking protagonist.

Source: Reuters (14 November 2005)

"Why not ban drinking ... and sex?"

2005-11-13T10:07:00.000Z

"Yes, technically I can see that you could argue that smoking in a pub could kill someone but that doesn't mean the Government has the right to kill off an English tradition," says Caroline Povey, 25, who will smoke 10 cigarettes before the night is out as she unwinds from a hard working week.

Alasdair Voisey, 30, a salesman, says: "It has to be down to the landlord, not central government, whether it's a non-smoking pub. I, for one, definitely would not go into a pub where I could not smoke. I like a smoke with a meal as well, so the policy about non-smoking in pubs serving food doesn't work for me either."

John Ramsden, another smoker, says: "There are some pubs where you can only smoke at the bar and maybe it's the landlord's right to decide that. But if the Government is going to stop us from smoking, why not just ban drinking - and sex, while we're at it?"

Source: Independent (12 November 2005)

Police boss bans smoking

2005-11-12T14:42:00.000Z

Smokers working for North Wales police have been told to stub out their "nasty and dangerous habit" at work. Chief constable Richard Brunstrom told his officers: "Smoking is a nasty and dangerous habit. Smokers generally have a much worse attendance record and are more likely to suffer injuries at work."

Smoking will be banned in all police buildings, car parks and grounds. Richard Eccles, the secretary of the North Wales Police Federation, said: "We will take legal advice on it. It is not how you should be treating members of your staff.''

Brunstrom has also authorised an internal advertisement that specifically bars smokers from becoming traffic officers.

Simon Clark, director of FOREST, told listeners to BBC Radio Wales that it was ironic that "If you commit a crime and get sent to jail as a result you'll still be allowed to smoke, but if you join the police force to uphold the law you won't."

Sources: Daily Telegraph, The Sun (12 November 2005)