If you must smoke, take your butt outside. ~Author Unknown



Image: Charles Harbutt, Laurence Miller Gallery

When the smoking ban came into place four years ago, smokers originally felt they were being discriminated against by being made to go outside to have a cigarette by a society that is supposed to promote integration instead of segregation.

When out socialising in a bar they would have to leave their non smoking friends and conversations inside to walk outside and smoke in a designated naughty corner regardless of weather conditions.

It was hoped that whilst standing out in the rain like socially isolated lepers and missing all the fun inside, smokers would reflect on their disgusting habit and be encouraged to stop smoking. But unfortunately this seems to have backfired and what actually happens is the smokers go outside and take the conversation with them and leave the non smokers looking after the coats alone inside, contemplating taking up smoking just to be part of the fun and not miss out. 

Henrietta, 19 says “some of the most interesting people I’ve met on nights out, iv met whilst outside having a fag”. There is no proof to suggest that only the interesting people smoke but surely only the dull would get left behind minding the coats?

Tom, 26 is a non smoker who smokes socially when drinking says, “I smoke when I drink because I don’t like waiting on everyone inside and hearing them laughing and mingling outside, and I feel like I’m missing something. It’s also a good way to meet girls, if you see a nice girl going outside for a fag, you can run after her like Linford Christie, with a lighter and not be cautioned by a police officer for it. It has a little bit of a speed dating vibe in the smokers area, after two minutes with someone you can choose to end or pursue the conversation without feeling uncomfortable about it. Pretty soon you realise that a lot of the girls are in the same boat and only smoke when they are out at the weekends drinking because they to have noticed the potential social benefits of the outside smoking section.” Tom met his current girlfriend in the outside smoking area of a nightclub.

However, these rules still seems to be unsatisfactory and life as smokers now know it could all be about to change again when Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary reviews the current law to see if it should be strengthened to include areas like beer gardens and doorways outside public houses where smokers gather, in a yet again effort to reduce passive smoking. Simon Clark, Director of the smokers lobby group Forest, said further legislation would “further erode our ability to choose how we wish to live our lives.”
Also, in an attempt to make smokers lives more difficult a complete ban on cigarette vending machines is also proposed, removing any kind of convenience for the smoker who doesn’t intend to quit.

Figures of the national statistics office show that the number of smokers who have quit since the ban is insignificant and has dropped which suggests no significant reduction has been achieved. So you have to ask, is there any point in this? Is it even fair that smoker’s interests are not being taken into account?

When the ban became enforced there was initially a little huffing and puffing (literally)  from the smokers after they were cleansed from the non smokers ,but now, no one really minds at all. Smokers have adapted to the situation and bonded with each other over  many drunken, smoke filled  chats regarding the repressive regime of the ever lurking cigarette militia.

The smoking fan has also had a negative financial effect on a lot of pubs who blamed the ban on people choosing to stay at home rather than going to the pub to go outside and smoke. A smoking ban on doorways and beer gardens could prove to be the final nail in the pub landlord’s coffin. Analysis of statistics from CGA strategy shows that since the introduction of the smoking ban nearly 6000 pubs have closed in the UK. The extending of this ban would hit the industry even harder.