Should smoking ban be extended?

IT’S been nearly four years since the smoking ban was first introduced in the Isle of Man.

The legislation was welcomed by many but greeted with dismay from the licensed trade and many of the island’s 18,000 smokers.

Four years on, it has become, for the most part, an accepted part of life in the Isle of Man.

Now public health officials are looking to extend the ban – and are preparing to go to public consultation on legislation to ban smoking in cars when young children are present.

The Isle of Man could have been a pioneer, with proposals to ban smoking in public places first mooted in 1986.

But it was not until March 30, 2008, that the island’s public buildings, workplaces and work vehicles went smoke-free – by which time similar bans were already in place across the UK and in Ireland.

Bushy’s brewery boss Martin Brunnschweiler believes a ‘sledgehammer was used to crack a nut’.

He said: ‘It wasn’t great for the licensed trade but we were expecting it to be worse. It was the older people I felt sorry for, the people in the clubs whose whole social life was affected.

‘Personally, I was disappointed that the Isle of Man could not come up with a tailor-made solution for a small community rather than just following the UK and Ireland.’

Douglas publican Geoff Joughin believes business in pubs is at an all time low and the smoking ban is partially responsible.

He said: ‘It is a major contributory reason for more home drinking and a considerable rise in alcohol consumption due to unmonitored amounts being consumed.

‘In parts of Europe, smoking bans are being reconsidered. In Germany and Holland smoking areas have been reintroduced and in Spain the new government has stated it is going to relax the ban because of a severe loss of tax revenue at a very difficult economic time.’

Ivan Bratty, food safety manager in the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, is responsible for enforcing the ban.

He said: ‘As far as premises are concerned, we haven’t had any problems at all. We have not had any complaints for some time.’

What remains a problem, however, is smoking in work vehicles and Mr Bratty is urging people to inform on those who breach the ban.

Mr Bratty said written warnings had been sent to a couple of companies.

He said: ‘Smoking in work vehicles has been a problem and we would like that to stop. But unless we get a registration it’s difficult to find out who they are. We need more people to inform us if they see it happening.’

One downside of the smokefree legislation has been the piles of cigarette butts that can build up in the street outside bars and offices.

Mr Bratty said: ‘A lot of licensed premises are very good at clearing up first thing in the morning. The piles of butts are usually outside offices with office workers treating the doorway as an ash tray.’

Prior to the smoke-free legislation, an island-wide Stop Smoking Service, Quit4You, was launched.

The aim of the service was to provide free practical advice, support and vouchers for Nicotine Replacement Therapy to anyone who wants to quit smoking from Specialist Stop Smoking Advisors.

It has proved to be extremely popular. To date, nearly 1,900 people have attended the Quit4You service, with quit rates around 50 per cent – which are comparable with the UK.

Anita Imberger, tobacco strategy co-ordinator said: ‘The majority of clients who attend our Quit4You Stop Smoking Clinics have been very positive about the benefits of the smokefree legislation.

‘Many clients who come to see us report that they have felt more anti-social and stigmatised because they have to smoke outside. For some people, this has been one of the key factors motivating them to quit.

‘Others report that the smoke-free legislation has helped them reduce the number of cigarettes they are smoking when they are out at pubs or at work. For those who are quitting and trying to remain smoke-free, no smoking in the pubs and restaurants has really helped them achieve this goal.’

Anita said the legislation has raised people’s awareness of the risks of secondhand smoke and a lot Quit4You clients have already stopped smoking in their house, or restricted it to certain areas.

Latest surveys show that 19.1 per cent of adults in the Isle of Man smoke, which is significantly fewer than the North West of England (22.5 per cent).