Ireland Marks Their 10 year Anniversary of a Non Smoking Environment

March 29 marked the 10-year anniversary of a workplace smoking ban in Ireland,

extending to pubs and restaurants. Ireland was the first country worldwide to
enact such a sweeping ban. The initiative made smoking in enclosed workplaces
illegal, punishable by a fine of up to 3,000 euros, or about $4,200.
The ban has spawned copycat laws across the globe. Norway and New Zealand
followed that same year, as did Uganda. Now, dozens of countries from Brazil to
Bhutan have joined Ireland in creating a nationwide workplace smoking ban -- the
United States not among them. Russia will join the list in June.
Irish Minister for Health Dr. James Reilly has hailed the ban as a success, stating
the proof is in the number.
"Recent research found 3,726 fewer smoking related deaths than would have
been expected if the smoking ban had not been brought in," said Reilly, who lost
his father and brother to smoking-related illnesses, in a statement. "This is
indisputable evidence that the ban is saving lives and improving our overall health
as a nation."
Indeed, Ireland's National Tobacco Control Office says the smoking prevalence
rate has decreased more than 7% since the launch of the ban, dropping from
28.86% in March 2004 to 21.48% in December 2013.
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But while statistics demonstrate a national decline in post-ban smoking, you might
not see evidence of that everywhere.
Even nonsmokers, are taking up casual smoking, "In hopes you might meet the
perfect partner, I think," she adds.Though few and far between, violators of the
ban have received penance. In March, Ireland's Mercroft Taverns Ltd. received a
750-euro fine after patrons were found smoking inside its popular Dublin pub,
Market Bar.
It's a lingering punishment that keeps patrons who puff tucked in a blue haze just
beyond pub doors, for worse or, sometimes, for better.