Day 14 - The Smoking Ban

Today the smoking ban comes in. No longer is it permitted to smoke in public restaurants, bars, clubs, cafés work places and more. Smoking bans are not a new thing. In 1590, Pope Urban VII' introduced the world's first known public smoking ban. Anyone who "took tobacco in the porchway of or inside a church, whether it be by chewing it, smoking it with a pipe or sniffing it in powdered form through the nose" would be excommunicated.

Today's smoking ban carries equally severe penalty of up to £200 for lighting up in the wrong place. There is no pleading ignorance either as hundreds of ugly no smoking signs have been stuck to windows of your favourite going out spots.

How do I feel? Well, my opinion is that the law is a little severe - that smoking is a personal choice and that it would be fair to have some places - private clubs, where people can do as they see fit. I could throw in that car fumes - which are also toxic will never be banned will they? Living in London, I have no choice but to breathe them.

Anyway, without wishing to open a can of worms on the subject, it is actually rather pleasant going into a café today and not walking into a wall of fuggy smoke when I get a drink.

The smoking ban must surely be positive in the long run - that it will kick start many people into kicking the habit and getting healthier.

I do wish all those ugly no smoking signs would come down, though. They really are unnecessary.