AWT "against an outright ban"

The new issue of At Home With Antony Worrall Thompson (a 212-page magazine available in WH Smith and other large newsagents) features an article about smoking in public places.

According to the TV chef, who owns two restaurants in London, another in Wiltshire and is also patron of FOREST, "Smoking is legal so we need to make provision for people who like to smoke. I'm against an outright ban but, if necessary, let us have premises that apply for smokers' licenses, then at least smokers and non-smokers know what to expect. Smoking in public places that are properly ventilated seems better to me than people smoking in their own homes with inadequate ventilation."

'The Big Smoke Debate' article also features a quote by FOREST director Simon Clark who argues that a complete ban is "excessive, disproportionate and illiberal" and adds, "The idea that no infant, child or adult should be exposed to secondhand smoke ... is like saying that no infant, child or adult should be exposed to car fumes or dust mites or any level of pollution."

Source: At Home With Antony Worrall Thompson (January 2006)