Ireland: Smoking population up since ban

By Pete Robinson

In Ireland last month (May 2008)a piece of news was quietly slipped out through the back door... the number of smokers among the population has RISEN significantly since the introduction of the Irish smoking ban.

In 1998 rates were at 33%, smokers having decreased to 27% of the population by 2002. I can't find figures for 2003 but it's reasonable to assume the downward trend continued until the smoking ban was introduced in 2004.

Since then, according to the Government-commissioned National Health and Lifestyle Survey (SLÁN 2007), the rate has leapt backup to 29%!

The reasons for this should be clear to all but the heavily blinkered. Prohibition simply does not work. Never has done, never will. Drive something underground and it becomes seductively attractive. Lifetime non-smokers are trying 'that first cigarette' so they don't feel left out when accompanying their smoking friends - you see this all the time outside pubs.

Like the Irish example smoking Brits have adapted to our ban by partying at home. Those that do go out are spending the firstpart of the evening at home 'pre-loading' on volume-'units' of Asda's finest grog before hitting the town already sozzled. They then spend little cash as they drift between pubs to light up in between.

As most publicans are acutely aware the end result is a big hole in your takings. With pubs closing in frightening numbers it's not much comfort to know that the whole idea is flawed, with the likelihood of increasing numbers in the UK smoking population. Socially devisive and pointless, utterly pointless. When will they learn to just leave us all alone?

Do you agree with pete? Lets us know your thoughts. email: nnlva@tiscali.co.uk

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