Nearly six out of 10 people do not know when the restrictions come into force, according to trade magazine The Publican.

A survey of nearly 1,000 people found 41 per cent thought smoking would still be allowed in private members’ clubs. And 19 per cent believed the ban would not apply to pubs which did not serve food.

The ban comes into force on April 2 in Wales, April 30 in Northern Ireland and July 1 in England.

The ban will affect virtually all enclosed workplaces and public places, including pubs, restaurants and membership clubs.

The ban is likely to have some positive benefits for the pub trade, the survey showed. One third of the non-smokers questioned expected to visit pubs more often as a result. Some 37 per cent of all respondents – and 51 per cent of non-smokers – were more likely to eat in a pub.

Daniel Pearce, deputy editor of The Publican, said: “There is an urgent need for more information otherwise pubs will have to face up to unhappy customers when they discover they can no longer smoke in their local.”

Source: The Bolton News

Dad-of-one John Smith was sheltering from the rain in a doorway yards from an official smoking bay when he was caught.

Bosses at the Michelin Tyres factory, in Dundee, sacked the 35-year-old on the spot for gross misconduct.

But tyre technician John, who worked for Michelin for more than 12 years, says the firm, who recently made 100 employees redundant, took advantage of his offence to cut more costs.

He said: “My backside didn’t touch the floor after I was caught.

“But I would have been let off with a caution if this happened a couple of years ago. The company were letting a lot of the workforce go and they saw an opportunity to get rid of me for free.”

John, whose appeal against the decision was rejected, added: “It was pouring with rain and the smoking bay, which was a couple of paces away, wasn’t covered so I was standing in a doorway to stay dry.

“I couldn’t believe it when I was hauled in front of the management. I worked for Michelin for over 12 years and know how important fire regulations are in a tyre factory and I would never take risks.”

John, who has a 10-year-old daughter, is worried his pension and benefits rights will be affected because he was dismissed.

And after last week’s 650 job losses at Dundee’s NCR factory, he knows that competition for work in the city will be high.

Michelin, who are one of the city’s largest employers, revealed plans for “significant investments” to secure the plant’s long-term future last year – but at a cost of 10 per cent of jobs.

Yesterday, a company spokesman refused to discuss the details of John’s case.

He said: “Smoking regulations in the Michelin tyre factory are very robust for obvious reasons.

“There are signs throughout the plant outlining the rules and we have specific smoking bays for our workers to use.”

In August last year, machine operator Malcolm Muirhead was sacked for having a cigarette outside a paper mill.

The 39-year-old was outside the Tullis Russell building in Markinch, Fife, next to a heating unit when he was caught.

The dad-of-one claimed he had to smoke there because he was not allowed to leave the grounds during his breaks.

Malcolm, who has smoked for 22 years, said: “This is a very draconian way to deal with smokers.”

Source: Daily Record

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is due to announce today that it has approved Champix after clinical trials showed that nearly half of smokers given the drug were able to give up their habit.

The decision has been welcomed by charities and medical experts who yesterday described Champix as a significant step forward in the therapies made available for British smokers. It puts Scotland ahead of England, where guidance on the use of the drug is due to be published later this year.
continued…

Unlike nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) such as patches, which release nicotine into the blood, Champix, whose technical name is varenicline tartrate, provides relief from withdrawal symptoms by sending a neurological signal to nicotine receptors in the brain.

By stimulating these receptors, smokers are provided with relief from their cravings. However, the drug also partially blocks the same receptors, ensuring that if a patient relapses they will not receive the same level of pleasure from smoking a cigarette.

Steve Crone, chief executive of Quit, a charity which helps people give up smoking, welcomed the SMC’s decision.

He said: “Varenicline will give Scottish smokers more choice from a good range of clinically proven treatments. Using varenicline and getting the right support could significantly increase a smoker’s odds of successfully quitting.”

Champix is the second non-nicotine drug to be licensed as a therapy for smokers in the UK. Its predecessor, Zyban, which was licensed in June 2000, was designed as an anti-depressant.

It is thought to work by regulating the brain chemicals dopamine and noradrenaline, which are believed to be linked to cigarette addiction and has been claimed to be twice as effective as NRT therapies in helping people to give up.

However, Champix has proved more effective and less likely to produce adverse side effects than its predecessor.

As part of its assessment of Champix, the SMC used data from two studies which involved more than 2000 smokers. It studied three groups who were given Champix, Zyban and a placebo.

Among the patients given Champix, which is administered as a tablet, 44% were able to give up smoking, compared with 30% of those given Zyban and 18% of those given a placebo. After 12 weeks, smokers taking the new drug had four times greater odds of stopping smoking than those on a placebo and two times greater odds of stopping than those on Zyban, the studies found. Clinical trials have also found that, among 4000 smokers who were treated with the drug, the number of treatments that had to be discontinued due to adverse effects was similar to those treated with a placebo.

Dr Alex Bobak, a London-based GP and expert on quitting smoking who has been involved in trials of Champix, said he had found the drug effective with patients who wanted to give up smoking.

“It is the first drug that has been designed for the purpose of giving up smoking. I have trialled it with patients and have certainly found it extremely helpful,” he said.

“One of the big differences from Zyban is that it is much better tolerated, there are much fewer side-effects. I’m very excited about using it.”

A spokesman for Ash Scotland, which campaigns against smoking, said: “We would welcome the introduction of any properly tested and licensed treatment that can help Scotland’s smokers to quit.

“There is a huge challenge in Scotland, where around 13,000 people die every year because of tobacco use.”

Source: The Herald

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said every extra day after quitting helped smokers reduce their risk of heart problems in the future.

It came as the charity continued its Under My Skin advertising campaign, with thousands of posters appearing on billboards around the UK to remind smokers of the damage their habit causes to their health.

BHF medical spokeswoman, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said: “Smokers’ risk of having a heart attack plummets after quitting.

“After just two weeks, your circulation has improved and blood vessels are becoming more efficient at carrying blood and oxygen around your body.

“A healthy heart is the greatest gift you can give yourself and your loved ones.

“The lead up to Christmas is a good time to plan a quit attempt and success can be just a phone call away.”

The latest campaign, which includes TV and radio ads, features the disturbing image of a lump rippling under a smoker’s skin to symbolise the unseen damage caused by smoking.

It also carries the message that every 35 minutes a smoker dies needlessly from a heart attack when a blood clot blocks a coronary artery.

Research shows that support from the NHS Stop Smoking advisors combined with nicotine replacement therapy can increase a smoker’s likelihood of quitting by up to four times.

Dr Griffiths said: “If all smokers were to trade cigarettes for nicotine patches or chewing gum tomorrow, we would see a dramatic fall in the number of deaths from heart disease.

“On average, UK smokers who die in middle age lose 21 years of life – so being smoke-free can actually add years to your life.”

Public health minister Caroline Flint said: “We know that smoking is the biggest cause of heart disease in this country.

“One in five deaths from coronary heart disease are directly attributed to smoking and could be avoided.

“It is important that people are made aware of the damage they are doing to their bodies by continuing to smoke.

“This advert is an effective way of communicating the risks to a wide audience.

“I am confident that it will act as a motivation for people to contact the NHS Stop Smoking Services for their best chance of giving up for good.”

The BHF is urging smokers to call their helpline – 0800 169 1900 – or visit their website www.bhf.org.uk/smoking for advice on quitting.

Source: Daily Mail

As the Morning Advertiser exclusively revealed last week, the council has asked Government for the power to designate certain streets no-smoking because of the high density of bars. Anyone

lighting up on the pavement would face a £50 fine.

In its response to the smoking ban consultation, West-minster pointed to the fact that noise complaints in Edinburgh rose by 1,000% after the ban was introduced in March.

“There are already problems outside some licensed premises caused by people standing outside drinking and creating considerable noise for neighbours,” said councillor Audrey Lewis. “We are anxious to avoid this being greatly increased by smokers.

“While clubs are responsible for the behaviour of the people inside their premises, we don’t want to find substantial numbers of them congregating outside where there is the likelihood of extra work for the police.”

But trade leaders insisted the proposal had “no chance” of success.

“It is beyond the scope of the draft regulations,” said British Beer & Pub Association manager of communications Neil Williams. “It’s not workable and I don’t see any prospect for its success. It’s not something Westminster can or should be allowed to do.”

Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers chief executive Nick Bish believes Westminster is setting out its stall to reject all applications for licence variations to allow extended use of outside areas.

“Westminster is using the smoking regulations to paddle another canoe,” he said. “Measures are already in place to deal with noise and it should take advantage of those. It is using smoking to drive people off the streets.”

Enterprise lessee Brian Hebblethwaite, of the Old Nell in Covent Garden’s Drury Lane, added: “This is just another example of West-minster’s anti-pub stance.

“I have had a terrible time with licensing. The police have now even objected to my temporary events notices. I accept the smoking ban, but this is unbelievable. It would make things a lot worse.”

Source: Morning Advertiser

Dr Laurence Gruer, who is director of public health for NHS Scotland, has proposed the move along with other medical practitioners.

Health minister Andy Kerr described the plan as “an important step forward” in preventing youngsters from lighting up.

Qualified backing has been given from smokers’ lobby group Forest which says smoking “is for adults”.

Changes to the legal smoking age will appear in the Smoking Prevention Group’s final report, which is expected to be sent to Mr Kerr very soon.

Smoking in public places was banned in Scotland in March this year.

Mr Kerr said on Sunday: “I believe, like the smoking ban, raising the age of purchase would be an important step forward, and I’d be very surprised if the group does not recommend raising the age requirement to 18.

“Let’s be clear – we must get a strong message across to young Scots about the dangers of smoking.

“We want to deter people who’re just entering adulthood from taking up a habit which causes huge health problems and leads to thousands of deaths each year.

About 6% of 13-year-olds and 19% of 15-year-olds smoke regularly. More teenage girls than boys take up the habit – 24% compared with 14%.

Forest, which vigorously opposed the ban on lighting up in public places, does not object to the legal age for smoking being changed.

Spokesman Neil Rafferty said: “We’ve no problem with raising the age, it makes sense, as we believe smoking is absolutely for adults.

Source: BBC News

Draft legislation, which is currently being finalised by Health Minister Paul Goggins, says that when buildings here become smoke-free as part of the province-wide ban next April, certain permitted smoking areas could be axed.

Article 5 of the plans says: “The Department may make regulations designating as smoke-free any place or description of place that is not smoke-free under Article 3.

“The place or places falling within the description need not be enclosed or substantially enclosed.

“The Department may designate a place or description of place under this Article only if satisfied that, without the designation, persons present there would be likely to be exposed to smoke.”

The legislation also says that these places will only be smoke free “in specified circumstances” and “at specified times”.

Meanwhile, in England, which will see a ban from next summer, anti-smoking campaigners have welcomed proposals in the Government’s Health Bill that could see smoking banned in stadiums, bus shelters and office entrances.

Health Minister Lord Warner told peers that ministerial powers under the Bill might be used to ban smoking in “sports stadia, bus shelters and entrances to public buildings or workplaces”.

These were, he explained, examples of non-enclosed public places where there was risk of harm from second-hand smoke.

Last year, in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, then Health Minister Shaun Woodward promised not to shy away from imposing “heavy” fines on pubs or hotels persistently flouting the law over smoking.

And he said: “Be no under no illusions – it will be about enforcement.

“It will be about very heavy fines.

“I suspect the most effective way of dealing with this is the establishment rather than the individual.

“In the Republic they have a fine of €3,000.

“We will have to consult on this, but I will not be afraid of imposing a fine of that level if that is the most effective way to proceed.”

At the time, doctors’ leaders warned Mr Woodward to hold his nerve as it emerged licensed trade representatives will continue pushing for compromises over the ban.

Source: Belfast Telegraph

Smoking is to be outlawed in all workplaces in England, including pubs, restaurants and private clubs from next year by the health bill currently before parliament.

But if office workers thought they could simply step outside the door for a smoke, they might have to think again.

The government revealed in parliamentary debate on Monday night that the ban could eventually apply to doorways and entrances of offices and public buildings, as well as to bus shelters and sports stadiums, under a power to extend the restrictions contained in the bill.

The Department of Health said the government had always cited these examples as places where smoking might later be outlawed. But it has consistently emphasised the advantages of a ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces rather than uncovered areas.

Lord Warner, health minister, told parliament the ban could be widened to outside spaces where people were closely grouped. “These places will not be enclosed or substantially enclosed as defined by the regulations but where there is a risk of harm from second-hand smoke due to the inevitable close grouping of people.”

This could mean workers being stopped from huddling outside their office entrances with their cigarettes, if they exposed colleagues coming in or out of the building to clouds of smoke.

Source: Financial Times

The study found that teenagers who smoked a cigarette at the age of 11 were twice as likely to take up smoking by 14 as those who did not try one.

It also showed that this held true even after a gap of more than three years and this “sleeper effect” could mean that people still possess a compulsion to smoke long after their first cigarette.

The desire to smoke could be reawakened at any time by “triggers” such as periods of stress, the researchers said in Tobacco Control, a publication by the British Medical Journal.

Surveys were conducted over five years on more than 2,000 11- to 16-year-olds at 36 schools in south London.

Researchers took into account factors such as whether a parent smoked, upbringing and social deprivation.

They said it was possible that nicotine from just one cigarette could change the “reward pathway” in the brain – whereby chemicals are released which make you think you enjoy something.

Another theory is that trying a cigarette might simply break down the social barriers that prevent teens from smoking, such as fear of upsetting adults or worries about how to smoke or how they look.

According to Cancer Research UK, 14 per cent of 11-year-olds and 62 per cent of 15-year-olds in England said they had experimented with cigarettes in 2004.

Health campaigns seem to have hit home as sales of nicotine patches, gum and other quitting aids have soared 50 per cent in five years to £97 million a year, according to market analysts Mintel.

The research shows almost half (47 per cent) of all smokers – about six million people including new Tory leader David Cameron – have made some attempt to kick the habit during the past year.

Meanwhile, the number of cigarettes sold in the UK has dropped 12 per cent since 2001 from 56 billion to 49 billion ciggies a year.

However annual tax hikes have meant the total amount spent on fags has risen 13 per cent in five years to nearly £13 billion a year – 130 times more than on aids for giving up.

Mintel analyst Matt King said: “Spending on nicotine replacement therapy is rising at a phenomenal rate, but there is no escaping the fact that the British still cough up a staggering £130 on cigarettes for every £1 we spend on NRT.

“The increase in popularity of these products generally reflects the success of advertising campaigns, particularly those offering support programmes in addition to the actual products.

“The availability of NRT on the NHS and the fact that more doctors are now advocating their use has also increased their popularity.”

A third a smokers have used nicotine replacement products to help them give up. Patches are the most popular product, used by almost three in ten (28 per cent), and sales are growing.

Mr King said: “It appears that the majority of quitters prefer the continuous stream of nicotine provided by patches over the intermittent ‘hit’ provided by gum, tablets, lozenges or inhalers.”

Under 35s are the most likely to smoke but also the most likely to try to quit, the research shows.

Source: LSE

Transport chiefs believe drivers taking their eyes off the road while finding and lighting cigarettes is responsible for killing and injuring hundreds of people a year, but pro-smoking groups say it is part of a campaign against them.

A recent study by Spanish researchers suggested smokers are twice as likely to have a car accident as non-smokers.

Now smoking is set to be listed alongside eating, drinking and reading maps as potentially lethal distractions in next year’s version of the Highway Code.

Drivers who smoke will face on-the-spot fines of £60, similar to those caught using a mobile phone.

The offence will fall within Department for Transport regulations requiring motorists to have “proper control” of their vehicle at all times. The move was welcomed by road safety campaigners and motoring organisations.

But pro-smoking groups say it is a further attempt to victimise smokers after the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces. That ban already extends to taxi drivers, lorry drivers and people using company cars.

Neil Rafferty, the Scottish spokesman for the pro-smoking group Forest, said: “The government is using every agency and bureaucracy available to it to marginalise smokers and force them into quitting.

“They have done it in pubs and restaurants, now they are going to do it in cars. This is an over-reaction and is very much part of an ongoing campaign against smokers.”

However, Maureen Moore, the chief executive of ASH Scotland, the anti-smoking group, said: “This is a positive move to make the roads safer. Research suggests drivers who smoke are more at risk of having an accident.

“[It] will also have the benefits of reducing their passengers’ exposure to second-hand smoke.”

Andrew Howard, the head of road safety at the AA Motoring Trust, also welcomed the move: “Smoking will now be included as a distraction and people could face being fined.

“Some people will see it as an erosion of their freedoms, but it is aimed at making the roads safer.”

In March Donna Maddock, 22, from Flintshire, was fined £200 for putting on her make-up while driving. In January 2005, a motorist from Tyneside was fined £60 after she was spotted holding an apple while driving.

A spokesman for the Driving Standards Agency said: “The proposal is there for the safety of drivers and other road users. The Highway Code proposals are not final and will be reviewed.”

There are about 1.4 million smokers in Scotland and ministers have set a target of reducing that number by 186,000 by 2010.

Source: The Scotsman

The leisure industry is watching Scotland’s experience closely for clues but early indications have been mixed. Sophisticated city-style bars with outside space and strong food offerings say takings have risen slightly since the ban while more old-fashioned drink-led pubs appear to have suffered.

The Morning Advertiser pub trade newspaper conducted an informal poll of 25 pubs in Edinburgh and found trade in 10 had fallen since the ban, five saw an increase and a further 10 reported no change.

A manager Edinburgh’s Quarter Gill pub who declined to be named, said takings were down by about 50%. The Quarter Gill does not sell food and is on a street with a narrow pavement.

He said: ‘It’s been a disaster. Customers, especially our older ones, don’t want to stand outside in the cold with all the buses racing past. They’re scared of getting hurt. Many of our customers have been working outside all day. They think: ‘Why should I go to the pub and have to stand outside in the cold?”

There were similar findings across the water in Ireland:

Mark Brumby, leisure analyst at Oriel Securities, predicted a 5% to 7% drop in sales in Scotland in the short term, reducing to zero impact in two years.

In Ireland, which banned smoking two years ago, figures last July showed Dublin bar takings were down 16% after the first year. About 600 pubs have closed since the ban, according to the Vintners Federation of Ireland.

Source: This is Money

The emotionally charged campaign features a terminal lung cancer patient who has already chosen the plot where she will be buried. Forty three year old Trudi Endersby, along with her two daughters, Kia (11) and Kirsti (20) represent the thousands of families every year who are coming to terms with the devastating consequences of smoking. The campaign will run for six weeks in the UK across TV, radio and press.

This is being accompanied by new adverts featuring two quitters who successfully gave up using their local NHS Stop Smoking Services.

“Many smokers are aware of the danger smoking poses to their own health, but do not consider the knock-on effect for their families and friends. I am confident that the uncompromising message of this campaign will hit home with many smokers. We also need to ensure that people are aware of the most successful ways to give up. That’s why we’ve combined the campaign with adverts which promote the free help available through the NHS Stop Smoking Services. This support, when combined with Nicotine Replacement Therapy, offer smokers their best chance of success.”

Every year around 114,000 people in the UK are killed by smoking, it will kill one in two long-term smokers prematurely, half in middle age. Most will die from one of the three main illnesses associated with smoking: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD, includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema) Lung Cancer and Coronary Heart Disease. Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do to improve your respiratory health and help prevent these deadly diseases.

Trudi’s campaign will be coupled with adverts featuring two real-life ex-smokers, Danielle Rigby and Omar Farook, who gave up smoking with the help of their local NHS Stop Smoking Service. These complementary adverts highlight the benefits of quitting with your local NHS Stop Smoking Service, which include the provision of non-judgmental help and support from trained professionals and a tailored, step-by-step programme to help you give up for good.

To find out about the local NHS Stop Smoking Service nearest to you, phone the NHS Smoking Helpline free on 0800 169 0 169. Smokers who want to quit can also find details of their local NHS Stop Smoking Service by visiting http://www.givingupsmoking.co.uk, texting ‘GIVE UP’ and their full postcode to 88088 or ask at their local GP practice, pharmacy or hospital.

The NHS Smoking Helpline (0800 169 0 169) provides expert, free, and friendly advice to smokers and their families. The helpline is open between 7am and 11pm every day for information requests and referrals, with unlimited access to trained advisers giving one-to-one advice and support from 10am. Since its launch it has received over 1 million calls. A year after first calling the NHS Smoking Helpline, nearly a quarter of callers said they had successfully given up and were still not smoking.

They say it makes sense to get used to a smoke free pub now rather than wait for the law to change. Mike and Elaine believe that far from losing trade, a smokeless pub will encourage more people to use their restaurant.

And as both of them are smokers themselves they’ll be sharing the sacrifice, and hoping the ban will give them the encouragement they need to kick the habit.

But what do you think? Should pubs and clubs be exempt from the ban? Should there be a ban at all?

Should all clubs and bars in Malaysia be smoke free?

What about eating places and mamaks?

The BBC went into York city centre one lunchtime to find out what people thought.

“Certainly ban in restaurants, but not pubs because people go there to drink and smoke.”
Mr Faulkner

“It’s too easy at the moment, you can smoke anywhere.”
Steve Jones

“It [smoking] is just very unsociable, I think.”
Mr & Mrs Bailey

“I think it’s great actually; it’s a good idea.”
Mari Samperio

Source: BBC Lifestyle

A report from the British Medical Association warns 1,000 people are dying every year as a result of passive smoking.

It also calls for a new tax on all tobacco company profits, which it wants to be ploughed in to public awareness campaigns on the health risks of passive smoking.

The BMA says the money could also be put towards the development of smoke-free public places.

The charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has also announced it is to press for a Bill outlawing smoking at work to be introduced, to protect workers from the effects of passive smoking.

It would impose a general ban, but allow exemptions in some circumstances, such as in residential homes.

Eighty per cent of the population do not smoke.

But a quarter live with a smoker, and millions are exposed to smoke fumes in public places.

Vulnerable groups

The BMA says a public place is any enclosed space with public access, such as shops, banks, taxicabs, and the workplace.

A recent poll showed 86% of people were in favour of smoking restrictions at work. But the BMA estimates 3m people are still exposed to tobacco smoke while at work.

It says there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.

And it warns certain groups are especially vulnerable.

Passive smoking has been linked to lung cancer, heart and circulation problems in adults.

The BMA said those at risk include:

• 8m with lung disease
• 2.1m with angina
• 1.3m who have had a heart attack
• 300,000 who have had a stroke
• 10.8m women of childbearing age
• 750,000 pregnant women

The BMA says children, who make up 20% of the population, are also at risk including the 1.5m who have asthma.

Passive smoking has also been linked with an increased risk of meningitis, cot death and chest infections in children.

Other recommendations of the report include:

• Public information campaigns on the health risks of passive smoking
• Health warnings on cigarettes should make clear the risks, specifically to babies, children, pregnant women and those with heart and lung diseases

Source: BBC News