Lessons from Scotland on smoking ban

28 June 2007 08:45

In Kirkcudbright, a postcard fishing town in the south west of Scotland, the air is clean, wafting in the nippy sea breeze.

English tourists flock in their droves across the border to admire the views and enjoy the fresh food served in pubs and restaurants.

But Chris Walker, owner of the Selkirk Arms, believes there is another reason why English customers enjoy the convivial atmosphere of Scottish pubs - the smoking ban.

Introduced in March 2006, the law which is expected to save the Scottish NHS millions of pounds, meant that all enclosed public premises throughout the country would become smoke-free, forcing die-hards either to give up their addiction or at least cut back on tobacco consumption.

Since the law came in place, reams of documents have been written, assessing its impact on the Scottish economy and the health of the nation.

But Mr Walker put it in simpler terms: "It's definitely a positive thing. I would say to our English friends and colleagues, there is nothing to be worried about. We have taken the non-smoking approach throughout and although the law would have allowed us to permit smoking in rooms, we decided to go the whole hog.

"Smokers are not lepers, but they will have to light up outside in the garden if they still haven't given up. The only people who need to worry will be pub owners who do not serve food and concentrate mainly on alcohol and smoking. They will need to look at something else, maybe introduce Sky Sports."

Anecdotal evidence compiled by Action on Smoking and Health Scotland (ASH) shows that in the first nine months since the law came in force, 95 pc of the population complied with the ban, and 35pc of smokers said the rule helped them to cut back on tobacco.

On the anniversary of the ban, the Scottish Executive revealed that 46,000 people had tried to quit smoking as a result.

NHS Fife said in July 2006 that the number of people in the area stopping smoking had doubled since the smoking ban came in three months earlier.

According to data collated by ASH Scotland, smoking ban enforcers issued 25 fixed penalty notices to premises and 385 notices to individuals between 26th March and 31st December 2006.

In the first three months of this year, health enforcers from the country's 32 local authorities visited 14,419 venues, issuing 11 fixed penalty notices to premises and 238 to individuals.

But Allison Brisbane, information officer at ASH Scotland, said the organisation was satisfied with the compliance rates across the country.

"We believe the figures are quite low, bearing in mind that there are more deprived areas in Scotland than in England, where more people smoke," she said.

A year after the smoking ban was introduced, research showed that the ban contributed to a 3 to 4pc decline in the Scottish cigarette market.

City authorities reported an increase in the amount of cigarette litter after the smoking ban came into effect, to the extent that Aberdeen City Council raised concerns about the amount of discarded butts, although additional litter bins had been put in place at bus stops and other hotspots.

In Edinburgh the number of fines issued for dropping cigarette litter trebled after the law came into force.

Reports based on snapshot surveys by the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) show that restaurants benefited from a 39pc increase in the sale of food and 21pc in the sale of drinks since March 2006.

On the other hand, 46pc of licensees reported a drop in the number of regulars visiting their premises, while 51 pc of customers spent less. The SLTA insists however, that the survey only represented the view of 7.3pc of licensed premises across Scotland, as not all members took part.

A study published by the International Journal of Epidemiology looked at the short term impact of the ban on pubs in Scotland, concluding that the Scottish smoking ban, in the short term, had a negative economic impact on pubs. It found that pub sales in Scotland were 10pc lower than in northern England, where smoking was still permitted.

But a month after the ban came in place, JD Wetherspoon's finance director, Jim Clarke, said: "We've not really seen any difference in trade. Our conclusion is, good start."

Five bingo halls closed in the first three months following the implementation and operators experienced a decline of between 17 to 27pc, and smokers insisted bingo firms should provide better facilities for them to smoke in.

Earlier this year, Wales and Northern Ireland also implemented the ban, with 91pc of people in Northern Ireland supporting the legislation, according to an opinion poll.

Throughout Europe, countries like Norway, Ireland or Italy have been at the forefront of the smoking ban for more than three years, making it illegal for people to light up in enclosed places, According to a report by the Office of Tobacco Control in 2005, 96pc of residents in Ireland felt that the law was a success, with one in five smokers choosing not to light up when out socialising.

In Norway, respiratory problems like coughing decreased significantly among employees in the hospitality business since the law was implemented in June 2004, while in Italy, the rate of hospital admissions for heart attacks among those under 60 decreased from 922 in February-June 2004 to 832 cases in the same period in 2005.

Other countries and regions throughout the world to have introduced smoke-free laws include New Zealand, Argentina, and the state of New York, which have all reported positive results.

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