Impending smoking ban spurs many to quit: study

LONDON (Reuters) – The decision to ban smoking in England’s
pubs, clubs and workplaces next year has already made more
people want to quit the habit, according to a poll on
Wednesday.

The House of Commons voted in February to ban smoking in
all indoor public spaces and the law could come into effect by
mid-2007.

A survey of British doctors, released to coincide with No
Smoking Day, said the change in law was already having an
impact, with one in five GPs reporting an increase in the
number of patients asking about quitting.

Robert West, director of tobacco studies at Cancer Research
UK, said the great majority of smokers wanted to give up.

“These findings reflect the importance of new government
policies in triggering action,” he said in a statement. “This
should be a bumper year for No Smoking Day, which will build on
the momentum of the new law.

“For every two smokers who stop smoking, on average one
miserable premature death is averted.”

The bill was passed by a huge majority on February 14
following a vigorous campaign by health groups.

Although British scientists were the first to document the
health risks of smoking, such as lung cancer, Britain has been
slow to stamp out the habit in public places.

Ireland banned smoking in restaurants, pubs and workplaces
in 2004 and six countries imposed bans of varying severity in
2005.

The ban in England will also bring the country in line with
the rest of Britain. Scotland goes smoke-free at the end of
this month and a ban in Northern Ireland is expected to start
in April 2007.

A ban in Wales is expected in mid 2007.

The charity No Smoking Day said a record five million
smokers would try to kick the habit for good on Wednesday, the
national awareness day.

The campaign group ASH said Wednesday’s No Smoking Day
would be a good time to quit before the ban comes into force.

“As increasing numbers of workplaces become smoke-free in
advance of next year’s law, we urge smokers to take advantage
of the support that No Smoking Day provides and to quit now,”
said ASH Director Deborah Arnott.

Some 12 million people of Britain’s 60 million people are
estimated to smoke.