Smoking Bans are Very Successful and Very Popular [02/09/06-1]

Smoking Bans are Very Successful and Very Popular

As delegates and representatives from hundreds of countries are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to plan the implementation of the world's first antismoking and nonsmokers' rights treaty -- The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC] -- they are being reminded of a very important point,

Smoking bans, even those which might have seemed very far reaching only a few years ago, and not only very successful -- they are also very popular.

Below are two separate pieces prepared for the delegates. One reminds them of how popular smoking bans -- which are so expansive that they make a country virtually smokefree in public and work places -- have been in Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Italy, and Sweden,

The other tells the delegates that even stronger measures -- including bans on smoking outdoors and in private homes, as well as governmental and private businesses and organizations refusing to hire smokers -- are also providing very successful as well as very popular.

Both encourage the delegates not to be timid, not to be swayed by outdated notions that there's some kind of right to smoke, and not to worry about a smoker backlash -- something which has been predicted with every new victory for nonsmokers' rights, but which has never occurred.

SMOKEFREE WORKPLACE POLICIES: "HEALTHY, WORKABLE, POPULAR"

In May 2003, when the FCTC was adopted, no country had a national law making all workplaces and public places smokefree. Less than a year later, in March 2004, Ireland ushered in a new era in smoke policies, making all enclosed workplaces smokefree by law — including bars and restaurants. The tobacco industry and its lobbyists said it could never work. Yet almost two years on, the trend for 100% smokefree workplaces is gathering pace worldwide.

And the growing experience of national smokefree laws around the world — in Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Italy and Sweden — reveals that such laws are healthy, workable and popular. In Ireland, a law to make all workplaces smokefree has encouraged many smokers to quit. Sales of cigarettes have fallen dramatically, and 98% of people agree that going smokefree has been good for health. The law is well respected: 96% of all workplaces — including bars and restaurants — are smokefree. And at the same time, a real improvement was seen in bar workers’ lung health.

Hysterical claims that the Norwegian hospitality trade would collapse when bars and restaurants were made smokefree have proven groundless. Independent assessments show that business has not suffered. Instead, a sign at the airport proudly proclaims: "Welcome to Norway. The only thing we smoke here is salmon." Compliance with the law is high: in a recent survey, 94% of people said they were not exposed to tobacco smoke in bars. Although bar managers expected problems with smokers, few have materialised.

New Zealand is known for its stunning landscapes and outdoor life. Now its new smokefree laws mean that the air inside is pure too, even for bar workers. And the move is popular: nine out of ten New Zealanders support the right to work in a smokefree environment.

In January 2005, Italian smokefree legislation came into force. Despite dire predictions, the law is supported by the vast majority of the population. More than eight out of ten people say they support the law.

Swedish bars went smokefree last May. Again the measure enjoys overwhelming support, and 90% of Swedes expressed their intention to respect the law.

Uruguay will become smokefree on 1 March 2006. This progressive move will make Uruguay the first country in South America to protect all workers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.

Many other countries have laws to restrict smoking. Too often though, these are no more than ineffective measures. No safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke has been identified. Designated smoking areas do not work — smoke simply drifts from one area to the next. Ventilation cannot remove the many toxins present in second- hand smoke. Only 100% smokefree policies can protect health, and save lives.

Policy makers can be slow to appreciate the popularity of smoke free laws. Yet opinion polls conclusively show that they are among the most popular and well-accepted laws. What is more, evidence shows support for these laws actually increases after they are introduced, among smokers and non-smokers alike.

Political leadership is crucial. Countries that have made all indoor workplaces and public places 100% smokefree have set a new gold standard for implementation of Article 8 of the FCTC. These laws are healthy, workable and popular. The question to other countries must be: what are you waiting for?

Dr Sinead Jones UICC

CRACKING DOWN ON SMOKING: HOW FAR CAN WE GO?

How far can we go in cracking down on smoking without some kind of backlash. The U.S. provides one example.

One city has voted to ban smoking outdoors in virtually all areas -- including public sidewalks and streets, and on restaurants' outdoor smoking patios. At open public hearings, no company and no smoker testified against the bill, not a single editorial opposed it, and many antismoking groups have praised it.

More than 700 other jurisdictions -- including the entire State of Washington -- have already banned smoking in some outdoor areas: e.g., beaches, parks, waiting lines, near building entrances, etc.

In at least eighteen states, courts have issued orders prohibiting smoking in the homes and cars of children involved in custody disputes, and/or limited custody of parents smoking around children.

Four states have already banned smoking in homes and cars when foster children are present, and many are preparing to do so. At hearings there is no opposition, and foster care associations support such measures.

A Florida city -- like many private companies -- is proposing to hire only nonsmokers in order to save almost $10,000 [US] annually per employee. Scotts Miracle Gro says it will fire employees who smoke on or off the job, a move a major TV network [CBS] said may be a "national model" and a "new reality.”

While these measures may not yet be appropriate in all countries, tobacco control advocates should not worry needlessly about a backlash.

There was no backlash when smoking was banned on most airline flights, when entire countries banned smoking in virtually all public places including bars/pubs, etc.

Since the U.S. experience shows that aggressive antismoking measures are increasingly gaining public support, advocates should not be timid in proposing them.

Law Professor John F. Banzhaf III, ASH (U.S.)

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