On 26th March 2006, Scotland, under the leadership of Labour First minister Jack McConnell, showed it was one of the most enlightened countries in Europe when the Scottish Government introduced a ban on cigarette smoking in public enclosed places.
In 10 years since it was introduced, it has saved Scots from breathing in around half a tonne of toxic material.
Though it has led to fewer heart attacks and strokes, the ban doesn’t appear to have encouraged people to stop smoking. However, it is fair to say younger people are rejecting the idea which was at its height during the middle of the last century.
The NHS and various charities provides information to support people who want to give up.
Passive smoking still causes problems. Research says that the impact of passive smoking can linger in the air for hours and track deep into the lungs.
In the days when I wrestled I remember that in those days, people were freely allowed to smoke in public places like the Music Hall, the HMT etc.
I recall when you stepped into the ring, the smoke gripped your throat and your breathing felt restricted. It took several minutes to adjust and overcome.
Many people were shocked when the entertainer Roy Castle, who presented the TV show ‘Record Breakers’ died of lung cancer brought on by years of performing in smoke filled night clubs and theatres.
Smoking was very popular in the 1940s and 50s. Often being seen as an aid to settling your nerves. Apparently expectant fathers used to pace up and down the hospital waiting rooms puffing away, awaiting the arrival of their new baby. How far we have come since those days.
Today in the UK one in five people smoke. That is around 9.4 million people. The cost to our NHS of smoking-related diseases, illness and disability amount to some £5 billion. That’s a huge amount of your money which is being spent on smoking-related treatments.
It is therefore disappointing to see that although NHS Grampian have declared all their grounds and premises ‘smoke free’ visitors as well as patients are still standing outside puffing away, polluting the atmosphere and creating an antisocial smell for the vast majority of others. No one seems to enforce the smoking ban.
They are not alone. Union Square shopping centre, a beacon of modern shopping, and the Stagecoach bus station, forces customers to run a gauntlet of smoking fumes to be consumed by any visitors making their way into the centre or bus station.
This causes unpleasant substances to linger on customers clothes and hair as well as in their lungs.
In fairness I did see a member of the Stagecoach staff challenge a group of people who were happily polluting the air that others were forced to breathe, ironically directly under a ‘No Smoking” sign. Well done that man I thought. I fear the provision of waste bins encourages people to think smoking is acceptable despite the signs.
The cost to the local authority, whose staff have to constantly pick up the discarded cigarette butts, and the numerous occasions when the call out of the fire brigade is necessary, due to big belly rubbish bins which are frequently set on fire by lit cigarettes, is enormous. And you pay for that through your council tax.
The work -time spent allowing staff to have smoking breaks is a loss to productivity, not to mention discriminatory against those who do not smoke and don’t get those short breaks.
For those who have to work with clients who smoke, carers , health professionals etc. rules have been put in place that ensure clients must not smoke for a specific period before staff visit them, and most definitely not during a home visit. Its good to see policies which consider the position of staff put into place.
Bear in mind before the smoking ban was brought in, people who worked in pubs, cafes and hotels as well as medical and caring staff, had no option but to breathe in clients toxic passive smoke.
Whilst I can accept a person has the right to smoke if they so wish, they must also accept they have no right to subject others to their toxic smoke fumes, nor to waste the scarce resources of the NHS when they are being helped to recover from smoking related conditions.
I find it very inconsiderate that when cafes set up outside tables, you must be prepared to put up with smoke drifting over to your table as you eat and drink.
Children also suffer in silence from passive smoking. I have lost count of the number of times I see parents puffing away in front of their children- both endangering their health, and teaching them bad habits.
It was gratifying to see legislation come into force which will protect young children when travelling in a private car. Children have no choice when an adult lights up in the confined space of a vehicle.
Scotland has some of the most progressive tobacco controls in the world. We restrict advertising, conceal cigarette shelves and place a legal age on when a person can smoke.
However, the real answer is to ban completely this toxic and outdated habit.
But I wonder what government would have the courage and determination to tackle this total ban?