Via Ireland Today:
Smoking rates have increased since 2002 despite the introduction of the smoking ban in public places, according to a study published today. The number of people who said they were smokers fell from 33 per cent in 1998 to 27 per cent in 2002 but increased to 29 per cent last year, according to the Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN) in Ireland, published by the Department of Health.
Hat-tip: Simon Clark at Taking Liberties, who adds the following:
Apparently, some anti-smoking campaigners have suggested that the way to reduce the number of people smoking is to remove all outdoor tables and heaters. I’m sure some of these people mean well, but … words fail me.
Mr. Clark is too kind. Smoking can, of course, be a dangerous pastime (although not so dangerous to ‘passive’ smokers as to justify Bloomberg-style bans), but I doubt if many of today’s anti-tobacco jihadis “mean well.” They mean to boss everyone else around, and that’s not the same thing. Not at all.