THE smoking ban in bars, restaurants and other public places wasn't just designed to protect the health of non-smokers.
It was supposed to discourage those who already smoke to kick the habit.
After its introduction in March 2006 a smokers' life when out and about became much more difficult.
Not only did they have to go outside, regardless of weather, if they wa
nted a puff, but they were also increasingly alienated by a growing consensus that smoking wasn't just unhealthy, but pretty selfish as well.
For some, the ban appeared to be a catalyst for further restrictions, perhaps banning smoking from public altogether, while the age for buying cigarettes was raised to 18.
But figures show that, in spite of these efforts, one issue remains more problematic than ever – the link between smoking and poverty. Research suggests that people living in deprived surroundings are 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer – smoking's deadliest legacy – than in wealthier parts.
It gets worse.
Once they've got it, they are also 30 per cent more likely to die from it.
Despite being more than a year ahead of the rest of the UK in implementing the ban, it would seem Scotland still has some catching up to do in persuading people to kick the habit.
Holyrood has announced a number of other measures, such as cracking down on smuggled cigarettes and hiding packets from display in shops.
There were concerns from retailers that this move would have a negative impact on business.
But Ash Scotland, the Edinburgh-based anti-smoking lobby group, says this is not the case, and in fact it radically reduces the number of youths tempted to buy cigarettes.
The organisation's Sheila Duffy said: "Since the smoking prevention action plan was announced in May, many column inches have been taken up in the press sounding the death knell for the traditional corner shop.
"The retail sector is concerned that the removal of cigarettes from sight will impose additional costs and impact on their trade.
"There have also been claims that the removal of tobacco displays will have little effect on youth smoking rates, the main aim of the legislation.
"But the evidence from countries that have already introduced similar legislation tells us that banning tobacco displays helps to lower youth smoking rates without imposing a significant negative impact on retailers."
In the last year 3748 of the estimated 140,220 smokers in the Lothians either made an attempt to quit, or at least set a date on which to do so.
Roughly 61 per cent of would-be quitters were female, and predictably more attempts were made in January than any other month.
These figures are higher since the smoking ban came in, but don't come near the 200,000 the Scottish Government wants to eventually quit smoking. There are between 30 and 40 new diagnoses of lung cancer in the Lothians every year, a figure that hasn't changed much since records were initially collated in 1980. And it could be decades before we discover whether the ban on smoking indoors will have a positive effect on this record.
But a closer look at the breakdown shows that there are far more cases in deprived zones than there are in wealthier areas.
The figures were revealed at a conference staged by the National Cancer Network (NCIN). One of the speakers, Professor David Forman of the University of Leeds, said: "Smoking rates are around five per cent higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK, and this significantly contributes to the higher rates of lung cancer – smoking is responsible for nearly nine in ten cases of lung cancer.
"We know that smoking rates are linked to deprivation – rates are about ten per cent higher in working class communities."
His colleague Professor Sir Alex Markham, who chairs the NCIN, added: "Scotland has led the UK in protecting workers and the public from the dangers of secondhand smoke and has every right to be proud.
"But higher smoking rates in Scotland still account for much of the difference in cancer rates between England and Scotland."
Professor Jim Cassidy, based at Cancer Research UK's Beatson Institute, praised the plan to remove cigarettes from sight.
He said: "These measures would particularly help reduce smoking uptake in young people.
"We strongly support the Government's commitment and look forward to real progress in these areas."
The full article contains 739 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
