The question should not even be whether to ban smoking in pubs...or even where smoking areas should be. The question that needs to be asked is: Why is ANY country still allowing the sale of most tobacco products at all?

If tobacco were only discovered today, and attempts made to get it approved by Food & Drug (or the UK equivalent), what do you think chances would be, given the inherently toxic and unpleasant effects?

Smokers should count themselves lucky that they are being given notice about less & less tolerance for a dangerously addictive product, and being allowed the opportunity to give it up slowly, while protecting non-smokers from the worst aspects of the problem.

It is perfectly understandable that those who ARE addicted would find it difficult to quit, as many of them started before it was made clear how unhealthful it is.....but there is nothing inherently sacred about being able to smoke in a pub, as against a restaurant or a tea-shop. It is only more common, and people tend to stay longer in a pub.

Here in the USA, they are finding that when smoking was banned, business for bars & pubs, after a short decline, tended to level off at near the original levels as NON-smokers returned to the scene. All a ban might do is change the demographics a bit....and maybe for the better.