When was pub smoking ban

There are concerns that allowing smoking in outdoor cafes will renormalise the use of cigarettes after a meal or with a drink, especially for those who may have stopped but are tempted to return to the habit out of anxiety and mental health issues relating to Covid and lockdowns. Deborah Arnott, the chief executive of Ash Action on Smoking and Health , said the pavement bans were popular with most customers.

People complain a lot that if they go outside, they have to sit among smokers. Pro-smoking campaigners have said those who object should sit indoors. The interest in smoke-free pavements comes before the publication of the latest tobacco control plan by the government, which is expected later this year. Smoking is permitted in outdoor dining or drinking areas in Victoria unless the area has a roof and walls in place, and the total surface area of the walls is more than 75 per cent of the total notional wall area.

An outdoor dining or drinking area includes a balcony, verandah, courtyard, rooftop, marquee, street, footpath or any similar outdoor area. For example, if the walls of a marquee are retracted smoking may be permitted, whereas if they are closed smoking may be banned. These new laws apply across Victoria from 1 August Under the new laws, if any part of an outdoor drinking area is within 4 metres of an outdoor dining area, the outdoor drinking area and the outdoor dining area must be separated by a wall that is at least 2.

This is the case regardless of whether the outdoor drinking area and outdoor dining area are operated by the same occupier. The new laws also ban smoking at certain food fairs such as the Night Noodle Market and Queen Victoria Night Market and at certain organised outdoor events. Smoking was banned in cars carrying persons under 18 years of age in Victoria from 1 January A number of Victorian local councils have banned smoking in outdoor areas not covered by state legislation.

From October Monash City Council extended its ban on smoking at playgrounds to include within 10 metres of the entrance to buildings on designated council land including schools, sporting grounds, council offices and community centres and at designated council events.

Occupational health and safety regulations introduced in July restricted smoking in enclosed workplaces in Western Australia, but did not specifically apply to patrons attending hospitality venues.

In smoking in enclosed public places such as theatres, shopping centres and cinemas was banned under the Health Smoking in Enclosed Public Places Regulations WA. There are minimal exceptions to the law, which include:. Amendments to the Tobacco Products Control Act that came into effect on 22 September banned smoking between the flags at patrolled beaches; at outdoor eating areas other than designated smoking zones at licensed premises ; within 10 metres of children's playground equipment; and in vehicles when a person under the age of 17 years is present.

An 'enclosed public place' is defined as a public place that has a ceiling or roof and that is more than 50 per cent enclosed by walls or other vertical structures or coverings. The surface area of any vertical structures located at or within 1 m from the perimeter of the ceiling or roof must also be included in the calculation.

If a public place does not have a roof then it is not considered to be enclosed. Unless an enclosed public place has adequate ventilation, the occupier must take reasonable steps to ensure that smoke from a tobacco product does not enter the enclosed place. From 18 March , smoking is not permitted within 5 metres of a public entrance to an enclosed public place, or within 10 metres of an air intake for air conditioning equipment that is in or on an enclosed public place.

From 22 September , smoking was banned in outdoor eating areas in Western Australia, other than in 'smoking zones' in licensed premises. Smoking in a vehicle while a person under 17 years of age is present was banned in Western Australia from 22 September Table Business premises indoors i. Multi-unit complexes, private units incl owners corporation power to ban smoking or smokedrift.

Pedestrian malls, footpaths identified by council and declared under smokefree legislation. Schools, indoors lxvi. Theatres except smoking by performers during performance , cinemas lxix.

The original legislation may have since been replaced or amended. Where none is shown, smoking may still be prohibited in some places by a mandatory policy or Council by-law. For recent news items and research on this topic, click here.

Last updated August Barnsley K and Freeman B. Chapter Smokefree environments. In Scollo, M, and Winstanley, M, ed. Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues. Smoke-free environment regulation Public health tobacco act. Heart Foundation NSW. Smoke-free policy in outdoor areas. A survey of NSW councils. Tobacco control act. Tobacco control regulations, NT. Tobacco control legislation amendment bill Tobacco and other smoking products act.

Sloane J. Claims plain packaging works go up in smoke. The Australian, ; 16 Jun. Queensland Government. Queensland health. Explanation of 'enclosed' and 'outdoor'. Brisbane, Australia Queensland Health. Designated outdoor smoking area. Tobacco products regulation act. Tobacco products regulation further restrictions amendment act.

Government of South Australia. Your smoke-free workplace. Adelaide: Government of South Australia, Smoke-free public places and shared areas. Outdoor areas. Smoke with kids in the car and you'll cough up a fine.

Government of Tasmania. A guide to smoke-free areas in Tasmania. Hobart Corrections act Outdoor smoking areas - a guide for licensed premises. Even though evidence had started to show the negative health effects of smoking from the s onwards, the general public and many health professionals largely ignored or dismissed the evidence. The tobacco industry invested in denying and distracting attention from the link between cigarettes and bad health, despite being aware of the health risks posed by smoking.

Public places and offices in the UK began to impose voluntary and partial smoking bans through the s and s. It concluded that environmental secondhand tobacco smoke causes lung cancer among non-smokers. This effect is larger than one would expect on the basis of the risks associated with active smoking and the relative doses of tobacco smoke delivered to smokers and non-smokers.

In the first 18 months after the implementation of the ban, Research also showed that hospital admissions for heart attacks fell by 2. The number of smokers in the UK has also decreased, with less than 15 percent of people smoking in , compared to 22 percent in Whether this is due to the smoking ban is debatable; however, it is likely that the ban has contributed to the decline in the number of smokers. A YouGov survey from also indicated growing support for the smoking ban, with 83 percent supporting the ban as against 78 percent in It is thought that this shift was mostly due to more smokers supporting the ban.

It is harder to separate the longer-term effects of the smoking ban in England. According to the BBC, assessing the full impact of the smoking ban on health will take time, as decreasing rates of lung cancer will only show themselves in the coming decades. The number of pubs in the UK has fallen since the ban, with almost 7, pubs out of an existing 56, closing between and It is recognised, however, that the smoking ban has changed the pub landscape; pubs have become more family-friendly and more like restaurants, and many of the traditional pubs have had to change their business models to survive.

Today, the UK is at the forefront of tobacco policy, leading the European league table for tobacco control. The smoking ban seems to have not only improved public health but also inaugurated an era of comprehensive tobacco policy. The main stakeholders of the smoking ban were medical professionals, local councils, the owners of licensed premises and others who were obliged to comply with the Act, the police, and the general public.

As is customary with significant legislation in England, there was a comprehensive consultation process with all stakeholders when drafting and reviewing the white paper. The policy was designed with their input in mind, particularly that of the medical profession, through bodies such as the British Medical Association, not-for-profits such as the King's Fund, and the National Health Service trusts responsible for hospitals and clinics.

The main resistance to the change came from pro-smoking pressure groups and the owners of licensed premises such as pubs. This led to a recognition by many other pub owners that the legislation had public support and that it was part of an inevitable progression. The government was committed to the legislation, which was seen as having major public benefits. In November , the government published the white paper on public health, detailing its intention to introduce the provisions in smoke-free premises.

The Health Bill was drafted in light of the consultation process following the white paper's publication. It received its first reading in parliament on 27 October In other words, there are very few people — both smokers and nonsmokers — who would like to return to those foggy days of smoke-filled clubs and bars. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later?

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