Submitted by: Penny Susman
A controversial new law in the United Kingdom, particularly in England, will be implemented beginning summer of 2007. The new law totally bans smoking in every public place and actually follows the ban passed in Wales and Scotland. This smoking ban has already been imposed in countries like the United States, Spain and the Republic of Ireland. The voting to pass the new legislation actually took place last February 2006 and has received much attention ever since.
The smoke-free legislation is expected to have an effect on businesses whose regular customers are smokers. The places that will be hit by the new law include enclosed and substantially enclosed public and work places. Many residents are worried of the general effects to the economy that will result from the ban. But overall, many experts believe that the smoking ban will have very little impact on the nation s economy.
Almost 75 percent of the United Kingdom s residents are non-smokers and businesses are actually going to benefit from the new law as more non-smokers will now to go to place previously frequented by smokers. On the other hand, businesses like pubs and clubs will be the hardest hit. For every violation of the smoking ban law, owners will be fined 2,500 pounds and in addition, they are also afraid that they will lose customers if they asked their regular clients to smoke outside. No smoking signs are also required in these places and failure to display one means more fines.
All smokers can still smoke outside as long as the area is not enclosed and are considered to be private such as care homes, hotels and even own residences. If they are caught smoking in places included in the ban, these smokers will be fined 50 pounds.
And it does not stop there. The UK government believes that the imposition of the smoking ban on the first of July is just the start. They are hoping to also target parents who smoke in front of their children, even if they are inside their homes. The government is also targeting a reduction in the number of smokers from twenty-five percent to five percent.
Smoking advocates, meanwhile, consider the new law as a violation of their civil rights and would cause non-productiveness in the work sector since employees will now have to go to authorized smoking places in order to smoke.
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