It’s many things to all people, to some it’s a nuisance and to others it’s an addiction. Call it what you will but the world is showing it the door. With England becoming the latest country to introduce a complete ban on smoking, will the image of an office worker, on a cigarette break standing outside a building clutching a cigarette in one hand – be a thing of the past?
Here in the US many cities and states have introduced or are introducing bans on smoking. California has some of the toughest and most extensive anti-smoking legislation anywhere in the world. A ban on smoking inside or within one and a half metres of any public building came into force in 1993 - recently extended to six metres. Smoking is also banned in restaurants, bars and enclosed workplaces - and on beaches - throughout the state. In New York, smoking has been banned in bars, clubs and restaurants since March 2003.
Anti-smoking laws have provoked a strong debate in the US. Some bar owners say their businesses are suffering and smokers say their rights are being infringed, while non-smokers delight in a fresher environment.
US ‘Not Alone’
America is not the only place where you can’t light up freely, with smoking bans being introduced in England, France, Ireland and Australia to name but a few seem to show a growing trend to ‘stub out’ the cigarette.
The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is thought to be the first country to introduce a total ban on tobacco sales. All shops, hotels, restaurants and bars are no longer allowed to sell tobacco products, with severe penalties imposed on those who flout the law, including a fine and the loss of their business licence.
Who’s Responsible?
There have always been efforts to ban smoking in public places since the realisation that smoking had a negative effect on the health of not only smokers but also those around them. The World Health Organisation (WHO) called for a global ban on smoking in public places in May 2007. The United Nations agency said a ban would help limit non-smokers' exposure to second-hand smoke, which can kill through heart disease and serious respiratory and cardiovascular illness.
Smoking Alone?
Smokers are now facing one of their toughest challenges yet. A ban reflects changing attitudes towards smoking in public place. The question is do you give up your social life or your bad habit? The answer isn’t always easy. Those who have tried to give up will no how difficult it is to stub it out, will power alone isn’t enough to quit.
Giving up Nicotine for Good!
The problem with most smoking cessation patches is that they rely too heavily upon nicotine. Giving up an addiction with a patch that keeps feeding you the stuff just makes the job harder. There is however an alternative, herbal patches promise to do the same job without poisoning your body with nicotine. Herbal patches containing 100% natural and safe herbal ingredients deliver to the smoker a steady fix of herbal ingredients, designed to slowly wean them off the tobacco sticks for good. Trials have proven them to be just as if not more effective at helping smokers quit then nicotine or will power alone.
Giving up smoking is a tough battle, and those being forced into making that sacrifice should make sure they arm themselves appropriately.
Nayim Manaf
HerbalBazaar.com – Cut Out Nicotine
Nayim Manaf is head of Research & Development for HerbalBazaar.com, an online retailer specialising in 100% natural herbal supplements.