Companies preparing for the smoking ban

[Friedland R]

July this year marks the start of the smoking ban in pubs across the country, and businesses are gearing up for the controversial change. City centre locations are expected to enforce the ban fairly easily, as a number of companies were campaigning for some sort of legislation even before the government reacted. However, in Liverpool for example, pubs in areas of the city where a third of the population smoke are fearing a backlash. Is a ban across all businesses the answer to the issue of smoking? Should businesses and pubs provide their employees and members of the public with facilities of some sort to allow them to smoke?

[IggyB]

i don't mind corporate questions in themselves ... but it does seem a tad unfair that they stay at the top of the question list thus pushing members questions off the board quicker

[Whickerman]

I do mind.

[Goodsoulette]

IggyB, has your viewpoint changed at all since you started smoking again?

[prattler]

I have been a 'victim' of the smoking ban since last year :-)To be honest i dont go out much these days.the first night I went out after the smoking ban was the worst!white wine and no fag?It was terrible.After a few trips outside with my friends and no hunky male fellow smokers outside as i'd been promised(apparently there was a new phenomenon in dublin where males and females gathering outside for a fag got talking and lived happily ever after in a smoky haze).Anyway, some glasses of wine later i went to a nightclub.My diehard friend dutifully went outside for a cig and my teenage rebellion resurfaced.i went to the toilet for a cig.it was like being back at school, very sneaky.I got away with it.next time i took my friend and lit up.next thing-an authoritarion voice saying;put your cigarette out please!I did so , of course, but still felt quite sneaky.didnt want to be the first person in scotland to be fine though, so havent tried that again:-)