Smoking Ban Reaches Homes
- February 22 , 2012
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Numerous countries around the world have been passing legislation to ban smoking in indoor public places. Opponents to this legislation claim that smokers will merely smoke more at home, rather than reduce their smoking habit.
The results of a recent study conducted by the German Cancer Research Center, and published in the journal Tobacco Control, seem to indicate that that the smoking-ban supporters are correct. Smokers unable to smoke in public places such as restaurants, bars, the workplace and theaters did not maintain the same number of daily cigarettes by smoking at home. They reduced their smoke intake.
The study compiled figures collected in four European countries that have passed anti-smoking legislation over the last decade – France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. After the smoke-free laws went into effect, the number of homes that also banned smoking rose by an average 27%. Also, except for France, the number of daily cigarettes smoked dropped dramatically. As a basis of comparison, the survey compared smoking habits with England, which has not passed similar legislation.
Supporters of anti-smoking legislation hope that these findings will encourage other countries to pass smoke-free legislation, helping to protect the health of smokers, children, or bystanders who suffer from second-hand smoke.
Article written by Chaim Katz
