Who would have thought, even a few years ago, that Ireland would have in place the toughest anti-smoking legislation anywhere in the world? Not many – it has to be said! But after much heated and often contentious debate, March 29 2004 saw the introduction here of a total ban on smoking in the workplace.

It made us the first country in the world to impose a countrywide ban (even in the US where smoking bans have long existed, they’ve tended to be confined to individual states such as New York and California). The sight of office workers puffing on the pavement outside buildings – a phenomenon long familiar to New Yorkers – is now a common picture in Irish towns and cities.
On its introduction, the smoking ban was hailed as either the most important public health initiative since the foundation of the State or a serious infringement of personal freedoms and an example of the steadily encroaching nanny state. Whatever your point of view, the smooth introduction of the ban was a remarkable achievement, especially given that we are not a people known for obeying laws, particularly those that seek to restrict our personal behaviour.
While the ban covers virtually all indoor workplaces, the debate leading up to it centred almost exclusively around pubs and the effect the ban would have on business. Jobs would be lost, business would collapse, tourists would stay away in droves and enforcement would be impossible – this was the mantra repeated over and over again by publicans’ representatives in the run-up to the introduction of the ban. Rarely did they address the health issues – apart from repeating the fact that ventilation was the ideal solution.
But despite predictions of gloom and doom, the sky has not fallen in. Though some premises have undoubtedly seen a slight fall off in business, most have adapted by introducing outdoor smoking areas and by making their premises more attractive to punters and in some cases by reducing drink prices.
Compliance rates have been impressively high, as has the level of enforcement. The Office of Tobacco Control said recently that in the six months following the introduction of the smoke-free workplace legislation over 94% of premises inspected were compliant with the law.
“Clean, healthy smoke-free environments are now a normal part of everyone’s work and social life,” says Dave Molloy, the OTC’s Chief Inspector. “We are pleased with the consistently high levels of compliance which reflects how steadfast the public support for this measure remains.”
According to Molloy a total of 26,627 inspections/compliance checks were conducted over the six month period. “Unfortunately, there have been a small number of offenders who have flouted the law and to date 11 premises have been prosecuted,” he resumes. “In respect of persistent non-compliance, our focus has shifted from compliance building to enforcement action. It is important to sustain and build on these high levels of compliance and the inspection programme will continue in support of this.”
Professor Luke Clancy, a long time anti-smoking campaigner and one of the driving forces behind Ireland’s smoking ban, told hotpress earlier this year that the ban was inevitable.
“I think it was always going to happen,” he reflects. “The key factors were the fact that cigarette smoke is more toxic than asbestos, that ventilation didn’t work and that bar staff were workers too. All of the political parties were in favour of the ban, as were the big unions such as SIPTU and Mandate, representing 1.1 million workers. Obviously, the healthcare professionals and the NGOs were in favour too and it was this coalition that proved unstoppable.”
Apart from providing smoke free work environments the legislation appears to be having the desired secondary effect of reducing overall tobacco consumption. There is no doubt that since the introduction of the ban more people have either given up smoking completely or cut down dramatically.
Recently released Revenue figures reported that tax receipts on tobacco are down 18%, while according to a report published in September, almost 7,000 smokers who contacted the National Smokers Quitline have quit smoking completely.
Of the Quitline callers who have not succeeded in giving up, 48% have reduced their cigarette consumption. Of those who quit, 39% said that the Smoke-Free at Work legislation had a significant or important bearing on their decision while 55% reported that it was an important aspect in terms of ‘staying off’. The New Year, traditionally a time when smokers attempt to quit the habit, should see a further reduction in smoking.
Let’s face it – the writing has been on the wall for smoking for some time. The jury is well and truly back in on the affects of smoking on health – both directly on smokers and indirectly on others through passive smoking. A conference held in Ireland earlier this year as part of our EU Presidency heard that over 660,000 EU citizens are dying annually due to tobacco use, with 26% of all cancer deaths and 15% of all deaths in the Union being attributable to smoking.
When you think about it, pubs were one of the few places left where you could smoke in public.
It has long been banned in cinemas, hairdressers, planes, and most forms of public transport – and even in large areas such as shopping centres. It was only a matter of time before pubs and other workplaces introduced the necessary protection for their workers.
Meanwhile other countries look set to follow Ireland’s example. In June, Norway introduced a slighty less restrictive ban, while the Scottish Parliament recently voted to implement a ban. In the rest of the UK, local authorities including Liverpool have signalled their intention to introduce their own smoking bans.
The incentives are there, like never before, for people to give up smoking. And the bottom line is that it’s the right thing to do, if you can muster up the resolve. We say: go for it.