SmokeFree

When was the smokefree law introduced?
What is the aim of smokefree legislation?
What does smokefree law do?
Is secondhand smoke really that harmful?
What sort of smoking does the law cover?
Does this include cigar lounges and water pipe (shisha, hookah, hubble-bubble) bars and cafes?
How will smokefree legislation impact on the hospitality industry?
What evidence is there of business success as a result of going smokefree?
Has the introduction of smokefree legislation been successful in other countries?
What support is available for people deciding to quit smoking?

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The smokefree law was introduced to protect all people in virtually all enclosed public places, workplaces, public vehicles and work vehicles, from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

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Smokefree legislation means that virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces as well as vehicles used by the public and work vehicles used by more than one person are required to be smokefree. This means:

• it is against the law to smoke in smokefree premises or vehicles
• it is against the law for people who control or manage smokefree premises or vehicles to fail to prevent smoking from taking place
• it is against the law for people who occupy or manage smokefree premises or vehicles to not display the required no-smoking signs

• lung cancer
• heart disease
• asthma attacks
• childhood respiratory disease
• sudden infant death syndrome, and
• reduced lung function

In 2006, the US Surgeon General concluded that:

• secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and adults who do not smoke
• children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in children
• exposure of adults to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer
• the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke

The World Health Organisation has classified secondhand smoke as a known human carcinogen. The US Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a "class A" human carcinogen - the same as asbestos, arsenic, benzene and radon.

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The smokefree law covers the smoking of tobacco or anything that contains tobacco, or smoking any other substance.

This means that anything that is smoked is covered by smokefree law, including manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes, pipes, cigars, herbal cigarettes and water pipes (including shisha, hookah and hubble-bubble pipes).

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There is international evidence from countries that have introduced legislation for smokefree public places and workplaces that the overall impact of smokefree legislation on the hospitality industry is not detrimental, especially if businesses have prepared. Importantly, the smokefree law will be good for the health of hospitality workers and patrons. In June 2006, The British Institute of Innkeeping's magazine said that:

"...we are talking about banning the use of carcinogenic substance which in enclosed spaces kills or damages the health of passive smokers - that means licensees and bar staff and customers. This is a scientific fact, and we should bear this in mind along with the economic arguments".

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There is considerable evidence from countries that have also introduced smokefree laws that the impact on business can be positive. New York's Smokefree Air Act came into effect in March 2003. After the first year, a report found that business tax receipts in restaurants and bars were up by 8.7 per cent, and employment in these establishments had increased by 10,600. Pub group Mitchells & Butlers reported in September 2006 that food sales were up by 11 per cent as a result of the introduction of smokefree laws in Scotland. Similarly, a survey for The Times, published in October 2006, found that amongst English pubs that have already gone smokefree, profits have risen by an average of 50 per cent and food sales have risen by 80 per cent on average. The smokefree law will also have a positive impact on the health of employees, in the hospitality sector in particular. A Dundee University study showed bar workers' lung function increased by as much as 10 per cent just two months after smokefree laws were introduced in Scotland. The study found that the number of bar workers who showed symptoms relating to exposure to secondhand smoke fell from 80 per cent to fewer than half.

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Across the world, as the evidence of the risks associated with secondhand smoke exposure has accumulated, action has been taken to reduce people's exposure to secondhand smoke.

Ireland (2004), Norway (2004), Scotland (2006), New Zealand (2004), various Canadian territories and Australian states are examples of places which have introduced comprehensive smokefree legislation (including smokefree pubs, bars and restaurants).

In America, California has had state-wide smokefree public places since 1998 and New York City passed smokefree legislation in 2003. Today, over sixteen US states have smokefree legislation that required completely smokefree restaurants and bars.

Comprehensive smokefree legislation has proved to be effective in protecting people from the health risks of secondhand smoke. For example, research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found rapid and significant improvement in respiratory health of bartenders after the implementation smokefree workplace legislation in California.

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