Smoking in Pubs?

On 1st July 2007 England went smoke-free. Frankly, I was angry at the time. I ranted about how unfair it was on pub-goers and how I wouldn't be able to enjoy a night out without being able to smoke. I professed to everyone I spoke to about how it wouldn't do any good and how it was the single worst event since the holocaust. But really, it wasn't all that bad.

First of all, it is nice to have a meal in a restaurant and not have to wave smoke out of your face as you eat. It is also nice that the windows don't have to be open all night in the smaller establishments. We've had over two years to get used to it and it's turned out pretty well. The non-smokers have stopped pestering us to move away from them (most of the time), smokers going for a cigarette in a dedicated smoking area has created a whole new social situation where fellow addicts can gather and reminisce about the good ol' days - the days when pubs were dark, smoky rooms full of 70yr old alcoholics and the odd 15yr old trying to get a pint.

I'm not going to argue with the ban, it makes a lot of sense as far as I can see. I cannot disprove the health benefits a smoke-free environment has, I am not a doctor. I can, however, tell you exactly why the ban has come in and stuck. Huge drug companies (such as Nicorette) fund studies into anything and everything and retrieve findings that will convince our politicians that smoking will cause everybody to die in a matter of minutes. Of course, the studies are genuine. All of them are carried out properly and properly recorded. But then again - genuine studies have shown black people are intellectually challenged and that all men have slept with at least 5 women in the last week.

The problem with these studies are that the result is decided beforehand. The investigator(s) decides to have 78% of pub-goers agree with the smoking ban. So, they go into a pub after the smoking ban and ask those sitting at the bar. I can guarantee that 78% of people sitting at that bar were non-smokers. How can I guarantee this? The smokers were outside - smoking.

It's the dishonesty I hate. Just tell us it's not that bad. Just tell us it's because non-smokers don't want to breathe in our smoke. There isn't a smoker in the country that would disagree with having separate smoking areas inside. Many places already did have separate areas for smokers and non-smokers where food was served. A little bit of respect for us as adults would be nice.

As I said, I don't disagree with the ban. I believe in compromise. Equal rights for smokers and non-smokers are needed if fairness is ever going to be achieved in this country.

You wouldn't tell someone to go outside because they chose to be a Muslim.