The following article first appeared in The Mercury Newspaper, Yorkshire. Reproduced with kind permission.
If you have been watching the press over the past two weeks you will see that the smoke ban imposed in Cyprus has caused uproar. Big surprise there then!
Things have got so bad, business wise, that bar & club owners have threatened to close their establishments down in protest unless the government reform the ban to allow them to make a living. Well upon my soul, bar owners with balls!
They are seeking amendments to the law to accommodate their puffing clientele: a provision allowing for the creation of dedicated rooms/clubs for smokers only; exempting music and dance bars from the ban; and giving small establishments (with an area of under 100 square meters) the option to have designated smoking areas, provided they install ventilation systems and ensure quality of air for all patrons.
With the ban barely a week old the entertainment sector is already suffering - a common trait across most of Europe. Should they carry out their threatened closures the cost to the government will be colossal for not only will they get no further revenue from the businesses but the unemployment benefits scheme will come under severe pressure, as it has here! We wish our Cypriot counterparts well in their fight against prohibition.
Meanwhile, back in dear old ‘Blighty’, we find that the Christmas festivities did not yield the financial jackpots many hoped for, thus more pubs are shutting. Now it is over and done with pub closures will speed up as this cold snap kicks in and even less people venture out for a pint-especially if they smoke!
Freedom2choose need your help in preparation for the smoke ban review later this year, so if you can spare a few minutes of your time we would ask that you complete the f2c survey which you can find at :-
It is imperative that as many pubs & clubs complete the survey in order that a true reflection of the effects of the SB can be drawn. We will publish the results as soon as all replies have been collated etc.
It is imperative that, come review time, we are fully armed with all the facts to present to the review committee. Our sister organisation, Justice for Licensees, have also distributed the survey amongst their members which include some 4,000 licensees nationwide.
This government, and any other, need to have the harsh realities of the damage caused by smoke bans laid out before them in simple terms. When this socially disastrous ban was brought in the only information available was the tripe spouted by ASH & other anti smoking bodies. Even the WHO produced only the evidence they wanted to produce to ensure the implementation of the ban. Even their own study into the effects of SHS were buried from sight, as they did not have the answer needed for bans!
As stated before, this ban was brought in on the back of LIES, FABRICATIONS, MANIPULATED STATISTICS & JUNK SCIENCE! The truth will out soon!
Phil Johnson
Freedom2choose.info
F2C Press Office
