I still get traffic and comment on my original smoking ban post, so I thought I would revisit it here. I am currently in New Zealand (and will be somewhere in this hemisphere until December), so I have missed a lot of the hype and advertising that seems to be going on in England right now. As I write this there are 22 days left before the ban takes effect on July 1st 2007…..
I of course support the ban as a lifelong non-smoker. I have seen my Grandad die of lung cancer, so I really do not wish to smoke - I especially hate second hand smoke.
One interesting aspect of my time in New Zealand is that there has been a smoking ban in place over here for a while - all bars, pubs, restaurants etc are strictly smoke free. In practical terms this simply means the smokers have to go outside to smoke - to which purpose there are roped off areas of pavement, heaters, stools etc etc. Nobody seems unhappy about this arrangement - in fact it provides a social opportunity for people.
I will be interested to hear how this ban goes in England - and how the pubs without beer gardens etc deal with it. I think its illegal to leave a pub with a drink, and I cannot see people wanting to leave drinks on the bar while they smoke, so some clever ideas might be needed…….
