SMOKING BAN LOOMS

Should smoking be banned in public places?

As the anti-smoking lobby grows, many pubs and restaurants are thinking about banning smoking. Inside Out looks at whether North Easterners will be fuming mad if no smoking bans get the go-ahead.

It's enough to make smokers fuming mad, but plans to bring American style no smoking bars to the North East could save thousands of lives.

120,000 smokers die every year of smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer and heart attacks, six times the number killed in road accidents.

The North East of England is one of the worst offenders with 30% of the population lighting up compared with 27% in the country as a whole.

Now the region could be the first in Britain to impose smoking bans in bars and public places if local Health Authorities have their way.

Declaring war on tobacco?

Smoking in public places could be a thing of the past

According to the World Health Organisation, one out of every two long-term smokers will be killed by tobacco.

From 1985-2000, tobacco has killed more than 60 million people in the developed countries alone, more than died in World War Two.

In the North East it's a similar story with one of the worst mortality rates from smoking-related illnesses in the UK.

In the North East 85 men and 44 women per 100,000 contract lung cancer each year compared to the national average of 72 men and 35 women per 100,000.

Snuffed Out

The Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority is concerned about the statistics, and has applied for £5m in European funding to set up an Office For Tobacco Control.

Dr Stephen Singleton, Head of the the Strategic Health Authority, thinks that a smoking ban is likely to happen in the North East within the next five years.

"I think that we could be the first region to ban smoking. We've got a big problem with smoking with about 30% smokers, higher than the national average," he says.

"We know that there's a majority of people would would think about a ban and would possibly support it."

Smoke-Free Zone?

But what would be the effect of declaring war on tobacco in the North East, and would smokers be happy to comply with any ban on smoking in public places?

Inside Out decided to find out. We asked the Medical School at the University of Newcastle to carry out a public opinion survey into smoking in public places.

The results make for intriguing reading, and suggest that the majority of people would be supportive of an overall smoking ban in public places.

Sixty-three percent of North Easterners surveyed supported a ban.

An overwhelming majority of 83% agreeing with a ban in restaurants and cafes.

The main reasons people gave in support of a ban were:

• to improve their own health - 31%
• to improve the health of others - 36%
• to reduce unpleasant smells - 25%
• to prevent environmental damage - 6%

But a third of people in the survey said that they would oppose a ban. The 'no' lobby was especially strong from smokers, 56% of whom opposed an overall ban.

The main reasons given were that it was a breach of civil liberties (19%), they were active smokers (14%) and smoking bans would not be enforceable (5%).

The City That Never Smokes

The North East isn't the first place to consider banning smoking in public places.

California was one of the first places to introduce a no smoking policy five years ago. Other American states like Delaware and Maryland have followed.

In March 2003, New York's Mayor introduced a controversial smoking ban in the city's 20,000 bars, clubs and and restaurants.

This was despite resistance from bar proprietors and the city's 1.3 million smokers.

Bars that flout the ban are liable to fines of $400. Inside Out travelled to New York to investigate whether the smoking ban was having the desired effect in cutting smoking.

The Big Smoke

Reaction to the smoking ban in New York has been mixed. Some businesses claim that trade is down and that smokers are deserting bars in droves.

New York - the city's streets look like ash trays

Others say that that the effect on businesses has been minimal although smokers are now going out onto the streets to enjoy a smoke.

This has led to problems of noise in residential areas and complaints about the growing heap of cigarette butts outside venues.

There is some evidence that smokers are staying home or indulging in behind-doors smoking sessions in hotel rooms.

It's probably too soon to assess the full impact of the ban in New York particularly on businesses.

In California, where the ban has been in place much longer, there's evidence that bar sales haven't been affected.

This sign could become a regular addition in North East pubs and cafes

Seventy-three percent of Californians now support the ban as opposed to 65% when it was first introduced.

Smoke and the City

Back in Britain, we decided to try out a smoking ban for one night at the Magnesia Bank pub in North Shields.

Despite high hopes, it was not a runaway success. Several regular drinkers turned away when they saw that they couldn't smoke, others stood outside and fumed quietly!

Manager Richard Slade is concerned that a smoking ban would be difficult to police with managers being left to enforce it.

Slade believes that better pub ventilation is the answer to providing clean air and keeping smokers happy.

He's also concerned that irate smoking customers could get aggressive with bar staff.

It's a fear borne out from experiences in New York where a Manhattan bouncer was killed earlier this year when he tried to enforce the tough new anti-smoking laws.

A Breath of Fresh Air?

More cities and regions in the UK are looking at the idea of smoking bans with the aim of cutting down smoking- related diseases.

In August 2003 Pizza Hut became the first major UK restaurant chain to ban smoking in all its eating places.

Its goal in snuffing out smoking was to protect its customers and staff from the dangers of passive smoking.

On Tyneside there are already signs of diminishing tolerance towards smoking in public places.

In 1998 Newcastle Playhouse became the first theatre in the country to ban smoking in its foyer bar.

At first smokers complained vociferously - now they stand in line smoking in the car park.

Cafe 21 and Blackfriars in Newcastle, and Sidneys in Tynemouth are just some of the new breed of 'no smoking' restaurants.

Shopping malls are also increasingly introducing smoking bans without an adverse effect on economic performance.

The Metro Centre in Gateshead is to ban smoking from January 2004.

It's a trend that many more malls, bars and restaurants are set to follow.

But how will smokers react in a region renowned for its smoking and drinking culture?