I've never smoked though my father has always smoked like a chimney and still does at the age of 84 so I grew up in a smoky house. I agree with most of what everyone has said. I think the ban on smoking in public buildings is a wonderful thin and have found that singing in folk clubs has become much easier since. I remember coming home from a night out and getting up the next morning to a heap of vile smelling clothes and having to wash my hair to get rid of the stink. One of the big benefits of the ban has been that many of my confirmed smoker friends have now managed to give it up and I don't have too much problem, in consequence, with smoke-smelling friends. It's true though that the smell is much more noticeable now and I often get revolting wafts of smoke stink from people walking past me in the street. I agree it's actually even more offensive than body odour. I get very upset to the point of homicidal when I see mothers of small children smoking away in their presence and even bending over to do up pushchair straps with the fag in their mouths a matter of inches from the child's face. What people do to themselves is their business and theri responsibility but to impose that on your child in the full knowledge of the dangers is criminal.

The problems I've found since the smoking ban, as well as heightened awareness of the smell are the litter of fag ends on the ground outside buildings and having to walk through a crowd of smokers and a consequent cloud of smoke to get in to a building. The WA rule of more than 5 metres away is a good one. I agree with mauve pink that all public areas should be included in the ban. I know it seems very hard on smokers some of whom are serious addicts and find it almost impossible to give up, but it's probably to their benefit too in the long run.

And just by the way, my Dad, though he was always quite a bolshie smoker, now goes outside to smoke and never smokes in the house even though it's only him and my Mum.

Love Lynne