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THE IRISH CANCER Society is insisting laws like the workplace smoking ban are helping alter attitudes towards the habit, and have resulting in a significant drop in smoking prevalence.
A working paper published by the ESRI has claimed that the ban – introduced in June 2004 – had “little or no effect on reducing smoking habits” amongst employed people.
The report, published last month on the think-tank’s website, said that the introduction of the law had provided employed smokers with an extra incentive to quit, and aimed to discover if this was incentive enough for people.
However, based on 2008 figures, the researchers found that the majority of workers were undeterred: “In fact, the evidence suggests a significantly larger decrease in smoking prevalence among the non-workers relative to the employed”.
According to the report, 22.9 per cent of workers smoked in 2002, but five years later that number was up to 24.8 per cent. Amongst those not employed, there was a 0.5 per cent drop in the same period.
Responding to those findings, the Irish Cancer Society’s Kathleen O’Meara says that the most up-to-date data, which monitors the entire population, shows that since the introduction of the ban, the national prevalence of smoking has fallen from 28.5 per cent to 21.7 per cent.
“That’s a 6.8 per cent reduction which is a phenomenal achievement and shows our health legislation is working,” O’Meara told TheJournal.ie.
“The thing is the smoking ban was never designed to help people quit – it was always about protecting workers from second-hand smoke.
“At the time when it was being debated there was a substantial dip in smoking prevalence, as a result of the high level of debate around the dangers of smoking.
“That highlights the need for ongoing reminders and ongoing media campaigns around smoking.”
O’Meara said the workplace smoking ban had been hugely influential in changing attitudes regarding smoking. ”It’s really popular, and it’s highly self-regulating – people just observe it themselves”.
Criticism
John Mallon of Forest Éireann, a smokers’ rights group that receives much of its funding from the tobacco industry, insists the smoking ban “hasn’t worked on a variety of levels”.
“We were initially told in 2003 that it was being brought-in as a result of the harmful effects of second-hand smoke — but in fact this was the first salvo in a battle to marginalise smokers.
“What in fact has happened is that the ban has destroyed the licensing trade – you had pubs literally closing down overnight.
“I’ve heard people talking in the last few days about the battle to ‘denormalise’ smoking. I’m being demonised just because I want to have a few smokes – it amounts to incitement to hatred.”
Health Minister James Reilly told an Oireachtas committee earlier this year that he is looking at extending the existing smoking ban to cover public spaces like beaches and parks.
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Pleased to say that I am almost 4 months free from cigs after 25 years. Took losing my brother in law to lung cancer in early May to give me the final urge to quit…… Will never touch one again!!!
Fair play, that’s a serious effort after 25 years. I’m the only non-smoker in my family but I’ve seen my sister and mother attempt to quit several times. My Dad says the smokes keep him sane!
My husband recently quit with the help of Cigg-e. Absolutely brilliant device and would highly recommended tutor anyone looking to quit.
I got liquid nicotine electronic device 6 weeks ago,wonderful invention i have no cravings,withdrawals,bad moods, etc can’t imagine that I will ever put another one of those horrible,tax laden filthy fags near my mouth again as long as I live yippee !!!
Which brand I’m getting off these filthy things, trouble is there is so many of these anti smoking devices and what’s safe. But I’m thinking they might tax these at a later stage.
@Baddrivingireland, it is called ” eGO-T” and the liquid is called “safevape” can be purchased at nextdoor off licences €50 including two batteries, two filters,and a bottle of liquid which will last you a month if you smoked 20 per day, hope his helps.
Cigg-e is also brilliant. My husband recently quit with that one and has never slipped..
We heard you the first time….there are so many of these devices about now and nobody has a clue what they’re inhaling..plenty..hope posters involved in the trade aren’t blatantly marketing on here
Nope,not involved in any way! I posted my original comment,further down someone asked for a brand name and I replied. Is that okay with you?
Weed free 6 years now, set a date and just stopped at 3pm 27 nov 2007, no pills,no batteries,nothing but fresh air,just like nature intended.
Which one did you use Martin?
Must try that! Thanks Martin!
Filthy habit
Regardless of whether it’s working on not it’s keeping non-smokers like me safe.
Still shocked that nearly half of those who are unemployed smoke versus about a quarter of those working. Social welfare payments are too high.
Early & strong contender for irrelevant comment of the day… Well played
Seriously? The lower the income, the more likely the smoking. That’s a shock to nobody.
These electronic cigs work. In my workplace of over 1200 people only a handful still smoke real cigs. Not to government bash but they really should promote these heavily and regulate the quality of the eliquid to ensure they are safe in order to further encourage people to give up.
As opposed to banning them outright or restricting their sale to chemists. I completely agree. Regulation and sensible taxation would guarantee quality control and offset dwindling cigarette revenue to some extent while also lowering the cost of smoking-related healthcare costs over time.
It shows that e-cigarettes are working.
If your family, friends or workmates stink of nicotine, tell them the smell is sickening.
Here’s a radical idea. If the government want people to quite smoking give out the electronic starter packs free to every smoker and then remove cigs from the market altogether. It’s often claimed that smokers cost the state more than the revenue received from cigs so there would be a saving overall.
I smoked for 14 years, and gave them up many years ago. I was against the pub ban, and thought it wouldn’t work (I was long given up by that time so was not affected), but it turns out most people like a smoke free environment. A heavy smoker friend doesn’t smoke in her proud new car! It is environmental. People I know who go to pubs less do so because of drink driving laws, nothing to do with smoke. Work places need to manage smoke breaks better.
Crack smoking is on the rise though
It’s craic smoking round here.
I’m 21. And anyone that starts smokin at my age or younger now is simply stupid. There are no positives to it. Cancer. Hole in the wallet. Generally bad hygiene (eg bad breath) .
I’ve been on E-cigs for nearly a year now. It’s mad to think they are going to remove them from the shop shelves as an option to the lethal real thing and give them to Pharmacies to whack their ridiculous margin on. It won’t effect me or most users as we buy bits online rather than disposables, but the fact I don’t smoke any more was down the option on the shelf one day last year. My chest x-rays show the biggest benefit. If governments want to regulate or ban something they should do it to the poisonous stuff and save a lot of lives. I smell a lobby from the vested interests of the other nicotine replacement product companies at work in Europe. Anyway, you can’t uninvent the wheel. You could buy a lifetime’s supply of nicotine in a small bottle now. Nicotine itself is no more dangerous as a substance than caffeine. Smoking gets you 230+ dangerous toxins. If I wanted to I can make a vaping device from a phone battery, wire, cotton wool with nicotine refined from other wild plant leaves. They can’t regulate that but it would be getting back into poitin territory ironically. Good fun though as long as the local A&E isn’t closed.
In our lifetimes aspartame will probably prove to be the biggest killer.
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