10 YEARS SINCE WE KICKED THE HABIT

A decade after Wales introduced the smoking ban, we look back at how things have changed

TEN years ago a pint and a fag in a pub were an every day part of life. Then on Monday, April 2, 2007, Wales woke up in a different world. One in which smokers could no longer indulge their vice in the confines of their cosy local.

Or a restaurant, office, train or bus. Or the stop where you were waiting for the bus. No confined public places at all.

The ban was controversial and still is. Even now, some want it overturned.

At the time author John Williams was running the first-ever Laugharne Weekend literary festival. The change came slap-bang in the middle of the party.

The village was full of hedonists, including the late former international drug smuggler Howard Marks, actor Keith Allen, rock ’n’ roll writer Nick Kent, New Order bassist Peter Hook and Hollywood actor Rhys Ifans.

“There we were, we had some notorious smokers like Howard Marks and Rhys Ifans, with their different styles of smoking,” John said.

“And I remember thinking ‘Thank God the sun is shining otherwise we’ll have a riot on our hands.’

“I think it might have got ugly if it had rained, because some of the people there were quite well refreshed by the time the ban came in, so trying to stop them smoking would have been a challenge.

“But it was a beautiful spring day. I remember seeing everyone smoking outside the Three Mariners. “I think everyone was wondering whether people would comply or not. “All over Europe, in places like Greece, people have complied. The one place people have complied least is Germany, which in many ways is a pretty law-abiding country. “I’ve been in lots of late-night bars – they’re full of people smoking. Who knew the Germans would be so dedicated to smoking?” David Wilson, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said pubs that relied solely on booze sales “suffered the most”. “There is no doubt it contributed to the closure of a number of pubs because their core clientele, who liked to go to the pub for a smoke and drink, no longer felt able to do so,” David said.

“In the medium term we have seen a lot of investment in pubs where they are able to offer food as part of the mix.

“Pubs have been quite creative in making outdoor spaces so smokers can use those while being at the pub.”

He said families had returned to pubs now they were smokefree but the overall effect had been “a negative one”.

“Pubs have found ways to work with the ban and a lot of people would say there have been benefits and cite things like the growth in food business but it remains a challenge for traditional pubs that might not have kitchen facilities.”

Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest, insisted the way forward was “separate smoking rooms”.

“There is no doubt the pub industry has been hit hard,” he said.

“We think separate smoking rooms would be a reasonable alternative.

“Smoking policies seem to be contradictory at the moment.

“The anti-smoking lobby says we have got to stop people smoking outside because we don’t want children to see smoking outside because it normalises it.

“But the reason people are smoking outside is because they cannot smoke inside. So you could argue the ban has been counter-productive.

“Where are smokers meant to smoke? They have nowhere else.

“If you do not want people to smoke at home or outside give them somewhere to smoke.

“Give them separate smoking rooms in pubs and clubs.”

The head of the anti-smoking charity Ash Wales has a different point of view.

“The smoking ban has resulted in the most positive improvement in the nation’s health in decades,” chief executive Suzanne Cass said.

“The significance of this legislation should not be underestimated.

“Thousands more children now live in a smoke-free home, and hundreds of thousands of people are no longer subjected to the deadly effects of passive smoking.

“There is clear evidence smokers no longer feel as comfortable smoking around others – the number of people smoking in their own home has almost halved since the ban came into place.

“It is fantastic to see the message about the dangers of smoking, especially around children, is being heard.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said the smoking ban had “played an important part of our efforts to reduce smoking rates in Wales, with the percentage of adults smoking now at a record low”.

“Welsh Health Survey 2015 showed 19% of adults reported they currently smoke, down from 26% in 2003-04.

“This significant reduction means we have exceeded our aim of reducing smoking rates to 20% by 2016 and we remain focused on reducing levels to 16% by 2020.”