In the nineties, I remember the acrid fug of cigarette smoke stinging my eyes.
My mum smoked. But it wasn’t just in our house that the grey clouds swirled.
It was there in a special section for smokers on trains. It hovered in restaurants, pubs and bingo halls.
Later, when I was just about old enough to sneak into nightclubs underage, the smell of second-hand cigarette smoke on your hair was a reminder of the night before.
I hated the smell of cigarette smoke even when I became a passionate and committed 20-a-day smoker myself.
It was ridding myself of that horrible scent that finally convinced me to quit, even more so than any of the obvious health benefits that come from not inhaling poison.
A proposal from Keir Starmer to ban outdoor smoking in beer gardens provoked both celebration and outrage when it was announced last week.
Commenting on his proposal, the Labour leader said his government was going to take “decisions in this space” and promised more details would be revealed soon.
“I think it’s important to get the balance right,” he said, before going on to say that the NHS is “on its knees”.
A poll which is currently running on The Courier website shows, at the time of writing, 33% of readers support the proposal, with a whopping 67% against.
There are no plans as yet to introduce a similar ban in Scotland. But it’s hard to see how the Scottish Government could let a wee ban south of the border pass without wanting to get in on the action too.
We all understand the reasons behind this proposal.
Sir Keir Starmer wants to mitigate the risks of active and passive smoking to reduce deaths.
Smoking-related illnesses are a huge burden on the perpetually overstretched NHS.
Adding to the already comprehensive list of places where smoking is prohibited would have a behavioural impact too.
Smoking is already an eye-wateringly expensive habit.
Removing the much-loved social aspect of it would be yet another blow inflicted on big tobacco companies – as well as smokers themselves.
Having said all that, I don’t support a blanket ban. Mostly because it seems to me to be a crude measure to try and achieve something that could be done much more effectively in other ways.
The hospitality sector has barely had time to catch its breath since the pandemic. The cost-of-living crisis and rising rents are hammering the sector. Now isn’t the ideal time to dump a load of new regulations on their doorstep and demand that they enforce them.
Many beer gardens and outdoor dining areas already have separate smoking and non-smoking areas. Some businesses choose to not let you smoke anywhere on their outdoor premises. As is their right.
Smoking ban is unworkable
With smoking rates on the decline and young people in particular staying away from the habit, we can expect to see more smoke-free outdoor venues in the years to come.
A ban might sound good on paper but in practice, it is unworkable.
Smokers on a night out will always find a way to light up.
If rain, snow and social disapproval doesn’t stop them, an invisible border drawn around a patch of fresh air won’t either.
If I was still a smoker, I’d simply take a few steps outside the boundary of the beer garden onto the street and have a cigarette there.
Unless Sir Keir is also proposing a smoke ban that extends to all public spaces, his attempt to legislate people away from a bad habit simply isn’t going to work.
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