[punky]

I found this quite interesting.

snippets:

"If the smoking ban in Scotland had not been introduced I would still be a non-smoker," says Andy Hughes of Edinburgh, where the ban came into force in March last year. "I started because I was being left in pubs and clubs alone for long periods of time, while the rest of my group were outside chatting and having a smoke.

...

More smokers choose to stay at home and have a puff, exposing their children to second-hand fumes, says a report from the International Epidemiological Association.

Scottish pubs have seen a 10% drop in sales and a 14% drop in custom since the ban. But cigarette sales went up by almost 5% in the six months after the ban, according to figures from the Scottish Grocers Federation.

...

With punters who smoke being forced outside for a fag, pubs are keen to make them as comfortable as possible so they go back in and spend more money. Thousands are being spent by breweries on outdoor smoking areas.

Keeping the chill off smokers is high up the list of priorities, putting outdoor heaters on the shopping list. The introduction of the smoking ban in England is expected to trigger a huge increase in demand for heat umbrellas, potentially creating a new environmental burden