Working toward a smoke-free Scotland

2016 will mark 10 years since the introduction of the smoke-free public places legislation in Scotland. Going smoke-free was the most important and radical public health measure for a generation, and it marked a defining moment in Scottish devolution. It made Scotland the leader across the UK in tackling the issue of tobacco harm caused by second-hand smoke. As one of the greatest successes of devolution, it also proudly sits as one of the first things that the Scottish Parliament did with devolved health powers. ASH Scotland and other voluntary health organisations lobbied strategically and in partnership for smoke-free public places. We used a very strong evidence base about the harm caused by tobacco smoke to convince senior politicians, leading to large parliamentary support for the proposals.

Scotland aims to halve the number of children exposed to second-hand smoke in the home

The tobacco industry itself woke up late to the realisation that the Scottish Parliament could and would legislate independently on this issue. But ASH Scotland sought to publicly expose the tactics that the tobacco industry used to try and undermine the legislation. There were both immediate and longer term benefits following the introduction of the smoking ban in enclosed public places. Bar workers showed significant improvements in respiratory symptoms and lung function within the first few months of the smoking ban coming into force. In addition, bar workers with asthma reported reduced airway inflammation and improved quality of life. A comprehensive research programme evaluating the legislation’s impact found:

• a reduction in the rate of child asthma admissions of 18% per year compared to an increase of 5% per year in the years preceding it
• a 17% reduction in heart attack admissions to nine Scottish hospitals in a year. This compares with an annual reduction in Scottish admissions for heart attack of 3% per year in the decade before the ban
• a 39% reduction in second-hand smoke exposure in 11-year-olds and in adult non-smokers
• an 86% reduction in second-hand smoke in bars
• an increase in the proportion of homes with smoking restrictions
• no evidence of smoking shifting from public places into the home
• high public support for the legislation even among smokers, whose support increased once the legislation was in place.

In addition, fears spread by opponents, such as the tobacco industry-funded lobby group Forest, failed to materialise. Maureen Moore, ASH Scotland’s Chief Executive, commented that: “Going smoke-free has worked well in Scotland, so well in fact that even the tobacco industry can’t deny it. After years of telling us that second-hand smoke wasn’t harmful, that people in Scotland would rebel against going smoke-free and that our economy would be damaged by such laws, FOREST has been reduced to publishing opinion polls that only reinforce the fact that most Scots are in favour of smoke-free public places”. Right now, tobacco control in Scotland is in an exciting place. Jim Hume MSP’s private member’s Bill to prohibit smoking in vehicles when an under 18 is present is going through parliamentary process, and a public health Bill around tobacco and nicotine is also at the early stages of parliamentary scrutiny. Looking to the future, Scotland aims to halve the number of children exposed to second-hand smoke in the home (from 12% to 6% against a 2012 baseline figure). This will require a culture change in Scotland’s population, but it is a change which fits with Scotland’s ambitious target to put tobacco out of sight, out of mind and out of fashion by 2034. ASH Scotland has launched Scotland's Charter for a Tobacco-free Generation and we aim to:

• raise awareness of the Scottish Government’s goal of creating a tobacco-free generation of Scots by 2034;
• support organisations whose work directly or indirectly impacts on young people and families;
• inspire individuals to take action to reduce the harm caused by tobacco.

You can support Scotland’s ambition to be smoke-free by 2034 by signing the Charter.