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New UK smoking laws, which look likely to be welcomed and implemented in devolved Wales too, don’t go far enough. I can’t wait for the day that people aren’t allowed to smoke in the street, and I am sure that day will come in my lifetime. I get why people may be upset that they can’t smoke in the beer garden of a pub. It’s probably the only place where some people, especially those of a younger generation, actually do smoke. And I guess there is a little bit of sadness in the fact that we might lose the culture of chatting up a stranger in the smoking area of a nightclub, but I’m sure the proposed law will include a designated smoking area – even if it is just a small smoking shelter away from an outdoor seated section.
Even if it doesn’t, is that really such a bad thing? Sorry for what you are about to read, Mam, but I smoked a little bit as a teenager and university student. I cringe when I look back and remember how much I actually hated it, but because it was a habit of the friends I bothered with at the time it was just something I did because they did. Now I’m not saying I smoked 10 a day, it was more like a couple on a night out. It was the culture of going out drinking in clubs and pubs where that was first fostered, and I’m sure that is the case for many people in my generation.
We have grown up with health warnings and ugly packaging on cigarette and tobacco products, we know just how bad it is for us. But a little bit of alcohol and a break in the smoking area of a club, and that habit starts. So I can see why it makes sense to limit and restrict where people can smoke in these venues. But as a 28-year-old mother, I’m not so worried about whether drunk people can smoke outside a club or not. I would much prefer to see a ban on smoking in all public places, including the street.
I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be able to smoke outside their own homes, or if they’re out for the day that they shouldn’t be able to light up at all, but I wish there was a law in place that meant smokers could only smoke in designated smoking areas. I strongly believe that in the next 10 years or so, this will be the case. We wouldn’t be the first country to do this either. In Mexico, there is an outright ban in all public spaces including beaches, parks, and hotels. Uruguay and Nepal also have a ban on smoking in public places. In my opinion, we are simply lagging behind in creating a smoke-free generation.
The dangers of second-hand smoke are well-known. You can choose to do what you want to your own body, but to expose other people to your second-hand smoke is simply rude. As well as the health impact – and I guess as someone with a job title called health editor, I am a little more passionate about this aspect – there is the general unpleasantness of smelling tobacco and cigarette smoke. I think it is really anti-social to be the only person smoking in a group of people, and we need to stigmatise this kind of behaviour.
I know a large amount of smokers already do this, there are people who won’t smoke in front of their children, their family, or friends, and will enjoy a cigarette in the comfort of their own garden when no one else is around. I just can’t understand how someone could need a cigarette so desperately that they would smoke outside their child’s school while waiting to pick them up, watching as children walk past them, unfazed by how unpleasant this is. When it comes to smoking, we have made progress in the last two decades.
I remember as a child going to a restaurant and there being smoking and non-smoking areas indoors. That is long gone. And I am so pleased that my son will never legally be able to purchase tobacco and cigarettes. I have strong hopes that the measures brought in to create a smoke-free generation will be achieved. But in the short-term, I wish we could be more brave with stigmatising smoking in public. I wish I could walk down the street without having to encounter a smoker. I wish that smoking was only allowed in designated places, and completely banned from beaches and parks, like other countries have done.
In conclusion, the debate over the impact of smoking in public places continues to be a hot topic, with differing opinions on the extent of smoking regulations required to create a healthier and more considerate environment for all. As discussions progress, the need for stricter smoking laws remains at the forefront of public health agendas to protect individuals from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and promote a cleaner, smoke-free society.