How will 1st July effect you?

You will probably have seen the adverts or if not you definitely would have heard that Britain will join Ireland on 1st July in a nationwide smoking ban. This is something that has been discussed widely for many years and as a non smoker myself I’m very pleased to see it enforced. However there are many of you out there that do smoke and will see 1st July as a huge change to your lives, going to the pub will never be the same again whether you smoke or not.

The smoking ban is being introduced to protect non smokers from the harmful effects of second hand smoke. Smoking will be banned in virtually all enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces, this includes public transport and work vehicles used by more than one person.

Work places may or may not decide to arrange premises for smokers to use but many have taken the ban as a catalyst to have completely smoke free premises and no ‘fag breaks’. Although this is not true for all companies the customary fag break which many employees take throughout the day may be stopped. I have worked with many people who do smoke and take breaks throughout the day, I don’t smoke and have to sit at my desk until lunch time for my break, whilst they feel its ok for them to sit outside and gossip with a cigarette, with or without the smoking ban this is unfair

The public have been asked to ‘report’ possible breaches of the law with a freephone telephone number to report such incidents (0800 587 1667). If you are caught smoking in public you may face a fine of £50 (reduced to £30 if you pay within 15 days), employers failing to display the correct no smoking signs could be fined a maximum fine of £1000, and people in charge of smoke free areas will be fined for failure to prevent smoking in a smokefree place and could receive a maximum fine of £2500.

Whether you agree with the ban or not it is here to stay, if you have more queries about how the ban will effect you visit www.smokefreeengland.co.uk.