But that's what pubs are for to have a drink and a smoke, it's only recently the health brigade with their passive smoking lark have been up in arms, restaurants ok I agree it's not nice to eat when someone is smoking beside you and that to me is the restaurant's prerogative to put it right with maybe an after smoking area or different rooms if possible, but why should we decent passive, non violent lovers of tobacco (which is STILL legal) be reduced to being banned like naughty schoolkids? I reiterate, tis not the smokers who spoil the fun, tis mainly the actions of others.

I suffer from asthma and left a room at a pub because I couldn't breathe properly, I went outside to get some air a fella came out and said "hot in there isn't it?" before I could reply that the cigarette smoke was choking me he lit up a cigarette!! Following the night out I was ill for a week. Plenty of people were drinking but it never affected me...oh and they had taxi's home as well, so no drunk driving

Sorry to hear that Helen's Mum, although being a smoker myself, even the pubs myself and OH frequent are not THAT smokey (OH doesn't smoke). My advice would be to find an airier tavern (no offence intended by the way)

Thanks bubbles, but another gripe is how the smell of smoke permeates the clothes and hair when one has been in the present of a smoker. Also as part of my job I have to visit people in their own home, many are chronically ill and quite young, most in their early 40's, they all smoke, but can hardly breath. They rarely smoke when I am there but when I go out I have to get my inhaler because of the stale air I breathe. I know this sounds petty, but it is bad. I was not diagonsed with asthma until 4 years ago, I have never smoked in my life but my parents did. I breathed in smoke most of my young life. My father was an extremely heavy smoker,(Players!!) he died aged 61. So perhaps there is something to passive smoking

I don't think this matter will ever be resolved in a discussion like this. Perhaps the individual establishments should decide themsleves if they wish to allow smoking or not and then people could go to the smoking places if they desired and not if they didnt. Actually AWT has always maintained that he would never ban smoking and states that most catering staff smoke themselves in any case so don't mind serving smokers.

Yeah, and I have seen the chefs of restaurants sitting outside kitchen doors smoking! Puts me right off and I don't go there. Never mind though.

Smoking should be banned not only in restaurants but also in all other public places whether there are or not children present. Tobacco smoke is disgusting for others that don't smoke the filth that is the highest factor responsible for lung cancer! In my opinoin smokers are very unsociable human beings, who don't care about non-smokers and children breathing in their smoke. Recent studies have shown that passive smokers are more likely to develop cancer than the people that do smoke cigarettes and cigars. The famous late Record Breaker TV Presenter Roy Castle died of cancer due to passive smoking and it only took one puff of smoke for him to contaminate this deadly disease. He did not smoke but breathed in someone else's cigarette fume and he only breathed one puff of the smoke. So for health reasons I think tobacco should be banned altogether in public places, but allowed in their own private space if a person chooses to smoke without the prescence of non-smokers even though I think they are md to choose something that will kill in the end. The stuff stinks!

I think people have the right to choose;
I drink, I smoke, I have sex and I wear leather,fur,suede oh, I enjoy veal and no problem eating foix gras - should I be shot - probably!

Not all at the same time I hope Menards.

I don't like smoking, none so pure as the converted as they say, I was a heavy smoker for years. I just don't go where people smoking is going to be a problem for me.

But I really can't see how a ban on smoking in public will ever work.

yeah you should. And possibly you should learn to spell as well if you are going to eat the muck. And by the way, people have the right to choose if they smoke, but they don't if they inhale other people's smoke. The smoking ban in Ireland was the best thing ever in the world's best country.

Never at the same time Rustie.
Sorry Helen, I was spelling it the same way as the French.
Sorry if caused offence.

Not going to rise to this one Menards.