Over the last 10 years there have been multiple changes to the laws surrounding cigarettes and smoking. In June 2007, smoking in any and all enclosed public space was banned, this included pubs, bars and restaurants, and this was all a consequence of the 2006 Health Act. Tobacco advertising has also been completely banned since 2005 as a way to deter people from smoking. The displaying of tobacco products in stores was banned in 2015.
Since 2007 and the banning of smoking in an enclosed public space, we have seen an increase in the number of people to give up smoking, the ban didn’t inform anyone of anything they didn’t already know, it just stopped them smoking in places they would previously feel the need to light up. Smoking rates have continued to drop year on year with the number of children aged 16 and under who regularly smoke has halved to 3% since 2007; the lowest figure on record. The smoking ban also saw fewer people hospitalized as an effect of smoking, with hospital admissions for heart attacks, asthma and lung infections down by 2.4%, which is around 1,200 fewer cases than in the years before the ban. Although numbers are dropping year on year, it is said that 19% of all adults still smoke.