Read on Twitter
1/ Not saying anything revolutionary here but thought I& #39;d gather my thoughts in a big ol& #39; #thread on #smoking, esp why I think pubs/bars/restaurants should voluntarily create generously-sized outdoor #nonsmoking areas ASAP (esp aimed at #Norwich venues bc of self-interest!)
2/ New gov guidance suggests venues will have to provide outdoor non-smoking areas soon anyway, though it& #39;s not clear from exactly when (anyone know?). https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-plans-to-ensure-pubs-restaurants-and-cafes-offer-both-smoking-and-non-smoking-outdoor-options">https://www.gov.uk/governmen...
3/ But pubs should do it soon, before they are forced to, from a sense of moral duty & to protect punters from 2nd hand smoke (SHS).
4/ In Norwich the only pubs (afaik) with adequate outdoor non-smoking areas are (bleurgh) Wetherspoons: our brilliant independents could (/should) be doing much better here.
5/ There is a popular misconception that outdoor smoking doesn& #39;t really cause harm because it just dissipates. Though it obviously dissipates faster outside than inside, it can still cause immense harm while it lingers.
6/ See https://news.stanford.edu/news/2007/may9/smoking-050907.html">https://news.stanford.edu/news/2007... "a person near an outdoor smoker might inhale a breath with 50x more toxic material than in the surrounding unpolluted air".
7/ or this https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3702010/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic... "One study showed... even v. low exposure to (SHS) was associated with changes in gene expression that may reflect early smoking-induced damage, potentially setting the stage for lung disease and cancer."
8/ & if you see any articles claiming that outdoor smoke doesn& #39;t cause harm, it& #39;s often Forest who are stating as much, like in this one: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/18/english-councils-call-for-smoking-ban-outside-pubs-and-cafes">https://www.theguardian.com/society/2...
9/ Forest pretends to be a group representing normal smokers, but are a right wing think tank funded by - shock horror! - the tobacco industry. They don& #39;t care about the health of smokers; & care less about the health of non-smokers.
10/ They are influencing policy to help shift product. https://tobaccotactics.org/wiki/forest/#:~:text=Historically%2C%20Forest%20has%20received%20almost,owned%20by%20Japan%20Tobacco%20International">https://tobaccotactics.org/wiki/fore...
11/ Worryingly (though unsurprisingly?) it seems another tobacco-stained right wing think tank (IES) may have influenced Robert Jenrick MP& #39;s recent pronouncement that a smoking ban outdoors of Manchester pubs & cafes would force businesses to close https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/13/peers-call-on-jenrick-to-explain-opposition-to-smoke-free-zones">https://www.theguardian.com/politics/...
12/ In fact there is little evidence for this. Only approx 14% of UK adults smoke, but 80% of them drink alcohol https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/drugusealcoholandsmoking.">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepop...
13/ And 60% of smokers in the UK want to quit (10% of these intend to quit within the next 3 months) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-stopping-smoking-what-works/health-matters-stopping-smoking-what-works#:~:text=million%20a%20year.-,St">https://www.gov.uk/governmen... op%20smoking%20support%20options%20and%20their%20effectiveness,do%20so%20within%203%20months.
14/ Given these stats, do we really think pubs would lose £££ from providing more safe space for non-smokers? And given the current prevalence of SHS outside of our pubs, can we be sure that the lack of non-smoking outdoor areas isn& #39;t in fact keeping wannbe ex-smokers away?
15/ It& #39;s certainly keeping me away - I have severe #lungdisease ( #asthma & #bronchiectasis) and can& #39;t handle #passivesmoking. At all. But I love the odd beer, and I love pubs.
16/ I used to just go inside if the outside area of a pub was too smoky (and that felt pretty unjust), but I& #39;m ultra COVID-vulnerable so indoor drinking ain& #39;t worth the risk...and so I mainly just stay at home (and I miss the pub!)
17/ And then there& #39;s children. Surely we all know kids are extra vulnerable to passive smoke? Well that& #39;s also the case for outdoor SHS (no shit Sherlock!). Most pubs claim they are & #39;family-friendly& #39; yet few have any outdoor non-smoking areas.
18/ Oh yeah, can& #39;t forget #COVID! "a respiratory viral infection that affects the lungs & airways. There is strong evidence that smoking tobacco is generally associated with an increased risk of developing respiratory viral infections." https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-advice-for-smokers-and-vapers/covid-19-advice-for-smokers-and-vapers">https://www.gov.uk/governmen...
19/ When venues lack outdoor non-smoking areas, people like me have to sit in the quietest area - & if a smoker arrives & sparks up nearby, either a) ask them not to smoke (awkward & occasionally hazardous!) b) move seat c) suffer in silence & leave the pub asap. None are great.
20/ Finally, by providing more non-smoking space, you make it easier for people to stop smoking. Smoking is a matter of #socialjustice, "identified as the single biggest cause of inequality in death rates between rich and poor in the UK" https://ash.org.uk/category/information-and-resources/health-inequalities/#:~:text=Long-term%20smokers%20are%20disproportionately,in%20routine%20and%20manual%20household">https://ash.org.uk/category/...
21/ So pleeease pubs / cafes / bars / restaurants / etc...at least give it a trial? Not trying to completely stop people smoking, just want to see a fairer environment for people who can& #39;t handle SHS (or just dislike it). It& #39;s surely quite simple...
22/ 1) Buy some non-smoking stickers 2) Stick & #39;em on a group of outdoor tables - ideally at least 1/3 - 1/2 of your total outdoor table stock 3) Remove ashtrays from those tables (obvs!) 4) Train staff to tell anyone who ignores the signs to move from these tables. Ta-da!
23/ Gonna @ some of my favourite local pubs in the hope they& #39;ll take heed so I can come & drink in & #39;em again. Also gonna @ some Cllrs in case @NorwichCC can do more on this (can we at least have more no-smoking areas / benches in our parks, for example?)
