Wales concerned about risks of passive smoking on terraces

Pursuing the goal of a smoke-free society, the Welsh government in the United Kingdom has announced plans to amend legislation in force since 2007 to expand smoke-free spaces. Opinion polls show significant popular support.

What means for a tobacco-free society?

The proposed legislation by the Welsh Government includes banning smoking around hospitals, schools and playgrounds, as well as on the terraces of Welsh pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Future smoking bans in these premises will amend the Smoke-free Premises etc. (Wales) Regulations 2007.[1]), with the dual objective of protecting non-smokers from exposure to tobacco smoke and denormalizing tobacco consumption in society, particularly to protect young people.

These are measures that delight both anti-smoking advocates and the medical community. In this regard, Professor Keir Lewis of Swansea University points out that these bans are essential to protect staff in these establishments from the risks associated with passive smoking, who currently have no choice but to endure smoking and accumulate its harmful effects due to daily and repeated exposure throughout the day.

What does public opinion think?

The ASH Wales association has carried out a survey with very positive results: 63% of those surveyed are in fact in favour of the introduction of smoke-free terraces.[2].

And what about smokers? Of the 171 adult smokers in Wales, 2019 figures show that nearly half (451) have tried to quit. Banning smoking in social settings might not be such a bad idea, as it would help limit temptation among smokers who want to quit or have recently quit.

Furthermore, it is an observable fact: smokers are not necessarily opposed to this type of anti-smoking measure. The DNF association, as part of the project "My Tobacco-Free Terrace", was able to benefit from the feedback of a restaurateur – himself a smoker – who voluntarily banned smoking on the terrace of his establishment. He testifies to the satisfaction of his customers:

This is a reality that undermines the arguments of those who, like Simon Clark, director of the Forest group, defend individual freedom to smoke by wrongly claiming that these new measures would penalize the use of social venues in the context of post-lockdown economic recovery. Rather, it is the risk of seeing the virus carried by clouds of smoke or vapor from smokers or vapers that risks turning away customers!