MSE Poll: Is it time to extend the smoking ban?

It was done so badly, and ended up more of a way to look down on smokers, ex smokers and people who wanted to seem wholesome.


I have never smoked (did attempt to a few times over the years to see what the fuss was about and couldn't even inhale a single breath and it tasted and felt awful) but thought the way it occured was stupid, getting rid of smoking rooms in workplaces meant people instead congregated at doors, and in itself the space required to smoke from a building was stupid,



I realise theres arguments many ways but the most vicious people I met were non/ex smokers who went on rants about people not caring about others


My friend was using his e cig a few months ago sitting in corner somewhere where e cigs are allowed and this woman started saying loudly and looking at friend about how disgusting he was, and "people like him" and how he was affecting others with his ignorance and how she shouldn't have to be near him and how he should be banned from the premises.


Students I see disliking smoking as its in to do so, they have no problems vaping, or getting drunk but somehow smoking is what the scum of the earth does who has no care for the enviroment or others.


Sorry if strange response, but will say to end it the lower smoking figures are due to vaping becoming more trendy, not the same thing as kids deciding to vape as its trendy.


I don't think it should be extended at all, that will just be stupid but it should be reworked into something that is good for everyone.


Heres something to consider, was private smoking rooms a worse idea than being forced to be outside around smokers as they are in beer garden instead?

So people now want to extend the ban to all public places. Does that include normal streets?
I'm trying to quit so I can see both sides of the argument.

Yes, it's a self-inflicted bad habit that harms me and others close enough to get the second hand smoke. However, the Treasury gets a bucket-load of cash from smokers through tax (and I'm including tax on imports and the tobacco/cigarette producing companies in this as well as the normal VAT, etc. on cigarettes/tobacco products). The last figure I can remember is this - 75% of the price of a packet of cigarettes or pouch of tobacco goes to the Treasury. It's tax!

Where do people think this money is going to come from if the population all quit smoking? Something/someone has to plug the financial gap.

And before people say it would save money for the NHS, look at it like this.
A few years ago (can't remember the exact year), smokers put into the Treasury around £7billion. Cost to the NHS (for smoking related illnesses) ..... £1billion. I'd say that was a net gain for the NHS/Treasury.

OK, so now we ban smoking/vaping in all public places.
That means I can't smoke as I walk down the street (where traffic pollution is far worse than second-hand smoke.
I'm already banned from smoking/vaping in pubs, restaurants, cinemas, etc.
Am I now to be treated like a leper because of a bad habit?
Yes, it smells, it pollutes and it makes people ill. So do cars, busses, etc and you don't see people screaming to ban those in public places due to the pollution they cause.

And on a small aside, if I was on heroin and wanted to quit, I'd be given the help free-of-charge.
I want to quit smoking, and if I want the patches, etc. that's going to cost me.
I know which one would do me most harm....