Smoking Bans

Smoking Bans It is now realised by individuals and governments alike that smoking is extremely hazardous to health. Millions are dying each year both directly and indirectly as a consequence of the smoking habit. The death toll is indeed prodigious and exceeds deaths due to drug addiction, breast cancer, AIDS and traffic accidents put together. A conservative estimate places the annual death toll to around 10 million worldwide.

Public Smoking Bans Over the past decade concerned governments have begun to implement and enforce smoking bans. Smoking bans have included the work place, bars, restaurants and other public areas. Some countries have even extended the ban to include inmates in penal institutions. Anti-Smoking Legislation The aim of all this legislation is to reduce tobacco smoke exposure for those who choose not to smoke and of course to encourage smokers to give up their pernicious and deadly habit. The recognition that passive smoking, or exposure to second hand smoke, is a significant health hazard has added impetus to restrictive smoking legislation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008 concluded that passive smoking causes cancers, heart disease and emphysema. In partnership with smoking restrictions, governments have introduced limits on tobacco advertising and have actively publicised the health hazards of smoking through education. Furthermore, the imposition of step wise increases in tobacco taxation has been aimed at discouraging new smokers, especially the young, from taking up the habit. Increased taxation has also provided an incentive for even the most ardent smoker to quit. Tobacco Companies Respond The tobacco companies and there supporters have not passively acquiesced to these changes. After all tobacco is big business and employs many workers in tobacco cultivation, processing and manufacture; much is at stake. Big tobacco has responded by shifting their marketing emphasis into the lucrative and largely unregulated third world market. Smoking Bans in History Of course smoking bans are not a new phenomenon. Soon after tobaccos discovery by the West in the 1500's, governments and even religious leaders, sort to impose smoking bans on largely non-compliant populations; addictions continue to remain beyond the law. In 1590 Pope Urban V11 threatened to excommunicate smoking Christians. The Turkish Sultan in 1633 prohibited smoking on the pain of death. He was clearly very anti-smoking indeed and was reported to have executed as many as 18 people a day at the height of the ban; his successor repealed Turkey's anti-smoking legislation. The assault on smokers and smoking, from all directions, is bearing fruit, at least in the developed world. Smoking prevalence in the United States currently stands at 21% of the adult population, this compares favourably with the 42 % smoking rate just 45 years ago. No doubt smoking prevalence will continue to decline. However, further reductions are expected to be hard won. Will a time come when further reductions become impossible? Human nature is all about personal freedom. I suspect no matter what the financial and health costs, and regardless of social stigma and public bans, there will be always be a hard core minority who will exercise their right to smoke.