| Ireland shows how to cope with no
smoke By Niamh Hennessy
Being the first country in Europe to introduce a smoking ban, March 29, 2004
was a long-awaited day in Ireland.
As somebody who was living in the country and a non-smoker, Edel Hogan
was especially looking forward to a smoke-free environment.
Keen to witness the changeover first-hand she gathered her friends in
the local bar on that cold Monday night.
She said: “We had one smoker in our group who we regularly sent
outside to see what was happening what were people doing, what were they
talking about.
“Of course the main topic of conversation outside pub doors was
the smoking ban. People commented about how it ‘wasn’t too
bad going outside’, how it was good to chat to new people you wouldn’t
normally chat to in a pub and how they could get used to this.”
But two hours later and people were getting annoyed, said Edel.
“The conversation had turned to how it was actually quite cold outside
and a bit annoying having to get up from their cosy seat every time they
wanted a cigarette.
“By the end of the night the conversation had turned to how many
people were pledging to give up cigarettes as they couldn’t stick
this every time they went out for a drink.”
According to the statistics many of these people have stuck by their pledges
as thousands of Irish people have given up smoking in the last three years.
Acceptance of the ban has also been extremely positive with 98 per cent
of people feeling the smoke-free law is a success according to the Irish
Office Of Tobacco Control.
Air quality in pubs has also improved dramatically since the introduction
of the smoke-free laws and levels of carbon monoxide have decreased by
45 per cent in non-smoking bar workers since the introduction of the smoking
ban in Ireland.
But it hasn’t come without protests from many sectors of society
mainly the bar and restaurant trade.
Before the ban was introduced the Vintners Association Of Ireland feared
it could mean up to 3,000 job losses as a result of falling sales.
This has not happened and pubs and restaurants have adjusted with relative
ease to the ban.
Many pubs and nightclubs now have a smoking area where people can gather
in an open-top area to smoke before heading back into the smoke-free environment
to socialise.
Regular pubgoer Noreen Daly said: “Since Ireland became a smoke-free
nation it has been a much more enjoyable place to socialise as we are now
surrounded by clean air.
“It has also encouraged people to quit and has made quitting easier
for them, as they are not tempted by smokers sparking up in front of them. The
alternative of standing out in the bitter Irish weather for the ‘cheeky
ciggie’ has also proved to be a deterrent.
Cork native Sinead Murray added: “For future generations there will
not be that peer pressure to start smoking at such a young age.”
Overall the smoking ban has proved to be a massive success in Ireland
and any difficulties were overcome once people became accustomed to the
idea of smoking outside. |
