Smoking will be banned in workplaces throughout the Republic of Ireland from March 29.

The ban means it will be against the law to smoke in pubs, restaurants and hotels.

But prison cells, hotel rooms, nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals have all been exempted in a series of amendments.

Health Minister Micheal Martin said the long-awaited move would benefit workers and the general public.

"This is a positive, progressive health and safety measure which will bestow positive benefits to workers and the general public," Mr Martin said.

"The bottom line is you don't have to be a smoker to get cancer from cigarette smoking, you can get it if you were never a smoker.

"You can get it from other people's smoke."

The announcement coincided with the launch of a nationwide advertising campaign warning smokers and employers of the new rules.

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Do you think more countries will follow this trend, if they are so sure that people can get cancer from being in the vicinity of Smokers, why the ###### don't they ban it everywhere, <deleted> Governments with their Greed, just ban it, take cigarettes off the market. Thailand should follow up the new drinking laws with some protection for non smokers too.

The problem with the new ban on cigarettes in the workplace, for any country, will be the enforcement of such a ban. Take the Irish case, there are only 40 allocated inspectors for the whole country!! I think you might see the law being adhered to in the major cities, particularly Dublin, but in the small rural pubs - no way, not initially anyway.

Overall it's a good thing but I feel it will be sometime before all pubs in Ireland are smoke free.

Paddy.

I do not know a thing about air pollution in Ireland.

But I do know something about the air pollution in Thailand,and how do they think that a cigarette ban in places here would help anything,what with the condition of the air all over the country,I have never been anyplace where the air is in worse shape than here, Right now I can look out my window and cannot see for 500 meters in any direction because of air pollution and I live in a village in central Thailand,what with the open burning of fields and forests,every Thai has a BIC lighter and will set anything on fire,everything from garbage piles to old tires is burnt at regular intervals,and every evening there is grass piles burnt so the cows are smoked up to keep bugs off em, When I lived just outsude of chiang mai,Garbage was burnt right on the shoulder of the road out by San Sai almost daily,everyone has asthma/enfazema or some lung disease and people are dying at an alarming rate from cancers of some parts of the body.

When I lived in Mexico I had a sinus infection and the doctors told me that as long as I lived there that it would continue as there was nothing they could do because of the air pollution and it is worse pollution here than there.

"This is a positive, progressive health and safety measure

Progressive health and safety measures are a new form of state terrorism.

I am not sure if it would affect tourism, however, I do meet a lot of visitors from Europe who feel it is strange that Thailand now does not allow smoking in restaurants, while places like Singapore get more smoking possibilites.

In Bangkok there are quite a few places where you still can smoke over a meal as apparently the ban is not extended to places holding a 'pub-licence' or so I was told. Others declared meeting rooms as 'Private', more open outdoor-annexes

to the indoor AC-rooms. All the smoke-free areas are ok, the smoker's 'corners' are crowded.

I myself can live without a cigarette for a couple of hours, however, always leave the choice to my partners or guests and always get a request for 'smoking'.

Seems to me the laws are contra-effective. Just because the government(s)

make(s) a ban, the people do smoke more.

"The road to he** is paved with good intentions."

Jeepz