Sunak wants to phase out legal smoking

[frogwoman]

I might have to stock up on fags then. I don't smoke frequently but I get nervous at some social situations and find it helps me cope better especially if i can go outside and chat to a few smokers. I really don't get on with vaping and I only smoke as an occasional treat though, not at all in the last few months. Share people's concerns that it might be the thin end of the wedge in terms of restrictive health based legislation in view of other stuff we've seen from Starmer in the past, although its probably not that bad an idea.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I don't smoke frequently but I get nervous at some social situations and find it helps me cope better especially if i can go outside and chat to a few smokers.

Take class A drugs instead - much more fun.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I do support the principle of the ban though - it's not a great habit, and it would save people a fortune along with making the population healthier. I dread to think how much I must have spent on fags before I stopped smoking - even when they weren't as ruinously expensive as they appear to be these days.

 

[two sheds]

It's an easy fucking slide into getting addicted to cigarettes

 

[NoXion]

Kicked the (tobacco) smoking habit a few years ago after a couple of attempts. Tried switching to vaping first, but they didn't hit my throat right, in fact it made my airways feel unpleasantly constricted in a way that smokes never did. Went back on the fags but with less enthusiasm than before. I think it was the fact it made joints burn nice and even which kept me buying tobacco. Thought about replacing the tobacco with herbal smoking mixes, but in the end just stopped smoking completely. Bought myself a pipe a few months back in order to smoke green by itself. I'm currently at a point where I can't imagine ever pulling on a cigarette and actually enjoying it ever again. I now have more money to spend on booze and junk food, woo.

I'm skeptical of the necessity and sincerity of this legal move. If we've reduced the incidence of smoking from 50% to 11% without exercising prohibitionary powers, then such a large reduction suggests to me that it wasn't required for tobacco consumption to go on a decline in the first place.

 

[Duncan2]

Banning smoking outside pubs seems quite radical

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Ministers consider tighter rules on smoking outdoors

The government says it is considering a range of measures to "make the UK smoke-free".

www.bbc.com

Looks like we’re heading towards not just tighter age restrictions but a ban in lots of public places too. Good.

 

[PR1Berske]

Take class A drugs instead - much more fun.

Not as easy as it was when I'd meet some lads at the Costcutter carpark of a Friday fifteen or so years ago...... I understand

 

[Pickman's model]

Kicked the (tobacco) smoking habit a few years ago after a couple of attempts. Tried switching to vaping first, but they didn't hit my throat right, in fact it made my airways feel unpleasantly constricted in a way that smokes never did. Went back on the fags but with less enthusiasm than before. I think it was the fact it made joints burn nice and even which kept me buying tobacco. Thought about replacing the tobacco with herbal smoking mixes, but in the end just stopped smoking completely. Bought myself a pipe a few months back in order to smoke green by itself. I'm currently at a point where I can't imagine ever pulling on a cigarette and actually enjoying it ever again. I now have more money to spend on booze and junk food, woo.

I'm skeptical of the necessity and sincerity of this legal move. If we've reduced the incidence of smoking from 50% to 11% without exercising prohibitionary powers, then such a large reduction suggests to me that it wasn't required for tobacco consumption to go on a decline in the first place.

I can picture you with a nice meerschaum

 

[Pickman's model]

Take class A drugs instead - much more fun.

And watch the pounds drop off

 

[Smokeandsteam]

I'm skeptical of the necessity and sincerity of this legal move. If we've reduced the incidence of smoking from 50% to 11% without exercising prohibitionary powers, then such a large reduction suggests to me that it wasn't required for tobacco consumption to go on a decline in the first place.

Precisely. Those who still choose to smoke aren’t going to stop now.

Bans in public spaces merely mean less use of communal spaces and more people staying at home.

Outdoor pub spaces, where smokers gather, are always the most fun and most social areas.

Who will go clubbing if you can’t even have a smoke/vape outside?

To be fair, I can’t think of a proposal more in keeping with the joyless, dreary and drained of life Starmer than a joyless and dreary ban on smoking outdoors that’ll have a negligible effect on health but will close more community resources.

 

[lazythursday]

I'm assuming that this would only cover smoking and not vaping. As there isn't the same second hand smoke argument about vaping, and I guess you could make the argument that such a move would encourage more people to switch.

The strongest argument against this really is it's enforceability. I don't think most people are that bothered about smoking outdoors except perhaps in quite confined spaces, so there won't be the social pressure to comply with the law that applies more strongly indoors. The only place this applies now is stations, and people smoke there all the time (unstaffed ones anyway).

 

[stethoscope]

Even as only an occasional smoker of spliffs socially, this is just an authoritarian unenforceable distraction from a government thats already lost the desire to actually improve peoples lives in any meaningful way (given all the things they could do: NHS, social care, child benefit cap, nationalise utilities and rail, support steel and infrastructure, social housing, etc) and instead is going to impose a new round of austerity and marginal stuff like this when smoking is already in decline (will just kill a few more pubs and shisha bars on the way).

 

[brogdale]

I'm ideologically uncomfortable about the mission creep of legislative bans on smoking in public places but, as someone who regularly walks with a chronic asthmatic, I'd welcome any public information/education programme that encouraged smokers to be more courteous about conducting their habit in busy public places. Too often we have had to cross pavements, slow or stop our progress or even move into a shop as a smoker in front/up-wind of us has created their own one-person pollution zone. I know it's hard for those with healthy lungs to appreciate, but to those suffering lung conditions, even the slightest, passing smoker's pollution can cause problems.

 

[maomao]

I'm ideologically uncomfortable about the mission creep of legislative bans on smoking in public places but, as someone who regularly walks with a chronic asthmatic, I'd welcome any public information/education programme that encouraged smokers to be more courteous about conducted their habit in busy public places. Too often we have had to cross pavements, slow or stop our progress or even move into a shop as a smoker in front/up-wind of us has created their own one-person pollution zone. I know it's hard for those with healthy lungs to appreciate, but to those suffering lung conditions, even the slightest, passing smoker's pollution can cause problems

It can just be really horrible as well. Especially if you're having a nice sit down in a park or something and someone just decides that's smokers' corner now. Only smokers think it doesn't matter outside. It may be less likely to do me physical harm but it can feel like a real invasion of space or completely ruin a moment of calm.

 

[two sheds]

Yes I'm not sure about the word 'joyless' regarding banning smoking outside. I'm against the banning but I'm not sure there's much 'joy' involved in smoking anywhere.

eta: smoking cigarettes I mean

 

[maomao]

Yes I'm not sure about the word 'joyless' regarding banning smoking outside. I'm against the banning but I'm not sure there's much 'joy' involved in smoking anywhere.

eta: smoking cigarettes I mean

Smoking crack or heroin doesn't bother me. Big stinky joints do.

 

[ska invita]

'm against the banning but I'm not sure there's much 'joy' involved in smoking anywhere.

eta: smoking cigarettes I mean

there is joy though - its literally one of the three joys of the pub - drink smoke and friends ... oh and dry roasted peanuts, 4 joys of the pub

 

[brogdale]

It can just be really horrible as well. Especially if you're having a nice sit down in a park or something and someone just decides that's smokers' corner now. Only smokers think it doesn't matter outside. It may be less likely to do me physical harm but it can feel like a real invasion of space or completely ruin a moment of calm.

FWIW, my friend with the lung condition treats large clouds of vape exhaust in exactly the same way as cigarette pollution. I've no idea if it's based on real experience of coughing/shortness of breath induced by vape clouds or whether it's psychological association of the two hazards, but whatever, vaping out huge clouds of those smelly perfumed gases in busy public places is pretty anti-social as well.

 

[maomao]

FWIW, my friend with the lung condition treats large clouds of vape exhaust in exactly the same way as cigarette pollution. I've no idea if it's based on real experience of coughing/shortness of breath induced by vape clouds or whether it's psychological association of the two hazards, but whatever, vaping out huge clouds of those smelly perfumed gases in busy public places is pretty anti-social as well.

It's technically not a vapour either. It's an aerosol formed from heated glycerols, doesn't sound quite so nice does it?

 

[two sheds]

there is joy though - its literally one of the three joys of the pub - drink smoke and friends ... oh and dry roasted peanuts, 4 joys of the pub

you forgot coughing: 5 joys of the pub

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Not in favour of complete bans in pub gardens, but some kind of non-smoking zones would be nice, not all gardens are large enough for that to work, but many are so could be made to work. Same for parks and beaches, though it's been banned on beaches in many places such as California for ages, was surprised a couple of years ago to find it banned on beaches in Thailand too.

I thought it was already banned in football grounds anyway? Not that I go to or give a toss about football.

I guess one of the reasons for all this banning is to de-normalise smoking, if kids hardly ever see people smoking it will just look weird to them, to a certain extent that situation already exists as so few people do smoke now, but in places like pub gardens it seems normalised as, especially on nice days all the smokers are out there so it looks like a far higher percentage of people smoke that is true for the general population.


NoXion, congratulations on getting there

 

[Elpenor]

It can just be really horrible as well. Especially if you're having a nice sit down in a park or something and someone just decides that's smokers' corner now. Only smokers think it doesn't matter outside. It may be less likely to do me physical harm but it can feel like a real invasion of space or completely ruin a moment of calm.

People smoking at bus stops I find the worst - was a big problem I found when visiting London and made my top 3 annoying things of the week I spent there this year.

I don’t find it a problem at home

 

[two sheds]

I used to go outside the pub with the smokers even after I stopped - you get pleasant conversations with a group of people that you wouldn't necessarily talk to in the pub.

 

[frogwoman]

I used to go outside the pub with the smokers even after I stopped - you get pleasant conversations with a group of people that you wouldn't necessarily talk to in the pub.

Yeah there's a social element to it that you don't necessarily get when vaping etc.

Plenty of pubs already do have non smoking zones outside.

The problem with this is it's just gonna lead to more people smoking indoors etc which is even worse for your health or dropping cigs down drains in the street etc. I don't mind it being banned on beaches because it's one of the most polluting things for the sea iirc

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Yes I'm not sure about the word 'joyless' regarding banning smoking outside. I'm against the banning but I'm not sure there's much 'joy' involved in smoking anywhere.

eta: smoking cigarettes I mean

Having a pint and a smoke is one of the joys of life for a lot of people. I don't smoke anymore, but when I'm out I'm normally outside with the smokers as it's the most social part of the venue. The ban indoors was fair because a smoky pub isn't pleasant for some, but outside??

 

[PTK]

Having a pint and a smoke is one of the joys of life for a lot of people. I don't smoke anymore, but when I'm out I'm normally outside with the smokers as it's the most social part of the venue. The ban indoors was fair because a smoky pub isn't pleasant for some, but outside??

I have been known in the past to hang out outside with the smokers. I was once on one of those punishment schemes on which New Labour sent unemployed people, and going outside with the smokers was an opportunity to go outside and have a chat.

 

[two sheds]

Having a pint and a smoke is one of the joys of life for a lot of people. I don't smoke anymore, but when I'm out I'm normally outside with the smokers as it's the most social part of the venue. The ban indoors was fair because a smoky pub isn't pleasant for some, but outside??

I take your point, I was just questioning the use of the word 'joy' - having a cigarette was perhaps relaxing or destressing or relieving the compulsion, hardly joyous though particularly long term.

 

[Serge Forward]

Stopped smoking 13 years ago after a 40 year smoking habit. Still miss it. In the 1990s I worked in a place that had smoking and non-smoking staff rooms. The non-smoking room was quiet, like a library. The smokers' room was full of people chatting and had more of a party atmosphere.

 

[frogwoman]

Yeah think it's ultimately gonna end up being unenforceable and will kill hospitality more than it already is tbh. Also not sure that banning things is gonna work honestly. We've seen how that works with drugs. The argument that kids aren't gonna be used to seeing people smoking is an odd one, people will still smoke at home, and in general people don't do lines of coke etc in the pub in front of kids but you still get plenty of people taking that up? Banning something often just makes it cooler, especially when people just ignore the ban anyway

Having a pint and a smoke is one of the joys of life for a lot of people. I don't smoke anymore, but when I'm out I'm normally outside with the smokers as it's the most social part of the venue. The ban indoors was fair because a smoky pub isn't pleasant for some, but outside??