by Sharon Norris

The Department of Health this week launches its consultation period on whether to raise the legal age for buying tobacco from 16, as it currently stands, to either 17 or 18. The move is in response to calls for the Government to do more to dissuade people from smoking, which is estimated to be a major causal factor in around a quarter of all cancers.

The consultation period also comes in the wake of a survey, published last week by the charity  Cancer Research UK, which shows that the ban on smoking in public places in Scotland has been a resounding success. Local councils have reported a 99 per cent compliance rate with the ban, and, contrary to expectation, more people in Scotland have been going to pubs and bars since the smoking ban was introduced in March this year.   

Publicans had feared that the ban would have a negative impact on business. However, the results of the poll showed that, in fact, 24 per cent more Scots have gone to pubs and bars since they became smoke-free, and only 10 per cent of people said they went less frequently. 

The results of the survey have been welcomed not just by those in the licensed trade, but also by health professionals. The Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, Professor Alex Markham, praised Scotland for leading the way in embracing smoke-free legislation and said the poll showed “that businesses would also benefit from this move towards a healthier Scotland”. 

Research from countries that have already implemented a ban shows that once it is in place, it becomes more popular - even among smokers. The results of a survey published in the Tobacco Control online journal last week shows that in Ireland, which banned smoking in public places in 2004, there has been a 30 per cent increase in support for the ban among smokers. The survey also showed that nearly 50 per cent of Irish smokers said the ban had made them more likely to give up smoking.  

"Smoke-free legislation encourages smokers to try and quit and increases their chances of succeeding. In short, it’s a double plus for public health”.  

All of this is encouraging for councils across England and Wales which are due to implement a smoking ban next year.  

Nevertheless, smoking bans have not had universally positive effects. Almost half of all bingo halls in Scotland are reported to be under threat of closure as a result of the ban, while the Irish ban has coincided with a decline in the fortunes of the traditional rural pub. In County Cork alone, more than 70 rural pubs have closed. 

However, supporters of the Irish ban argue that, while it has been a major factor in the downturn, increases in water and waste disposal charges, and the rising cost of alcohol itself have also played their part. So too have changing patterns of drinking. Across Europe as a whole, there has been a trend towards people drinking more in the home. 

According to a spokesperson for the charity Alcohol Concern: “All the statistics indicate a definite increase in the sales of alcohol for home consumption. In the last year alone, there has been a ten per cent rise, while the increase over the last decade has been in the region of 50 per cent.  

The main reason is that it’s cheaper to buy alcohol in supermarkets. Younger people especially are choosing to drink at home and are just buying small amounts of alcohol in pubs and bars to keep at the same level of ‘tipsiness’”. 

However, despite the fact that, traditionally, smokers are more likely to light up when having a drink, the results of two recent Tobacco Control surveys show that smokers in countries where a smoking ban has been introduced are more likely to ban cigarettes at home. 

They also show that, across the UK, the proportion of smokers who have smoke-free homes rose from 15 to 19 per cent over a seven month period. In Australia it rose from 34 to 43 per cent. 

Commenting on these results and on the growing support among Irish smokers for the ban, Cancer Research UK’s tobacco marketing expert, Professor Gerry Hasting, said: “Smoke-free legislation encourages smokers to try and quit and increases their chances of succeeding. In short, it’s a double plus for public health”.