Total smoking ban in public places only viable option in the UK

Sep 6 2005

Doctors, nurses and charities in the UK have renewed demands for a total ban on smoking in public places, and are warning that government plans to allow smoking in some pubs would increase health inequalities.

The demands come at the end of the consultation period on proposed legislation that would partially ban smoking in public places, exempting pubs that do not serve food.

Apparently a study by Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health, has found that many publicans, especially those in poorer areas, will stop serving food to get around the proposed legislation.

The charities say the survey of 1,250 bar managers has provided "final evidence" that the exemptions should be dropped.

Professor Alex Markham, Cancer Research's chief executive, says their survey provides strong evidence that a partial smokefree law would widen the health gap between rich and poor.

Nurses leaders are also calling for a total smoking ban which they say will save up to 30 people a day from the fatal effects of passive smoking.

As many as 5,000 nurses and RCN supporters have petitioned Ms Hewitt for a total ban, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has urged the health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, to take immediate action to ban smoking in all enclosed public places.

Dr Beverly Malone, the RCN general secretary, has criticised the government's plans to exempt pubs that do not serve food as "nonsensical", and cites a British Medical Journal study which has found that second-hand smoke kills 11,000 people a year in the UK.

She says whether a pub serves food or not is irrelevant, the issue is about having no choice about breathing in the smoke of others and the devastating effects of passive smoking on health.

The Trade Union Congress has also warned ministers that anything other than a total ban would threaten the lives of hundreds of workers, and says the proposed exemptions to the ban would cause confusion.

General secretary, Brendan Barber, has urged the government to reject the drinks and hospitality industry's proposal for smoking areas in all pubs, as this would leave workers and the non-smoking public at risk.

Meanwhile, to add to the furore, the government has published research which shows that 60% of smokers fail to ask permission from non-smokers before lighting up, despite the well-known risks of passive smoking.

The survey found that 21% of non-smokers still did not feel comfortable asking somebody not to smoke near them, even though exposure to passive smoking increases the risk of lung cancer by 24% and heart disease by 25%.

The NHS has also launched a new advertising campaign to remind smokers of the dangers of second-hand smoke, but doctors say the campaign illustrates the double standards of the government.

According to experts such as Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association, if the government is aware of the hazards, it cannot defend only a partial ban on smoking in public places.