The smoking ban: one year on

So, it’s one year since the ban on smoking in public indoor places was introduced across England. If the latest figures from Cancer Research UK are anything to go by, it’s certainly having the desired effect. Some 400,000 people have quit smoking at the start of the ban, and an estimated 40,000 lives will be saved over the coming decade.

It’s particularly difficult to argue against the second of those statistics. And – as I’m still making my mind up about the ban, one year on – I’m not going to try. But this article in today’s Telegraph does a good job of outlining who’s lost out – over 50 pubs now close each month, whilst 60 bingo halls have shut down over the past 15 months. I can’t help but wonder this means for, say, elderly people – who might not be prepared or able to stand exposed to the elements in order to have a smoke, and who might have curtailed their social lives as a result.