What's happening on 1st July?

From 1 July 2007, virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England will be smokefree.

This means that it will be against the law to smoke in the indoor parts of places such as pubs, bars, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants, lunch rooms, membership clubs and shopping centres. At work, smoking inside will become a thing of the past, and indoor smoking rooms will no longer be allowed. Public transport and work vehicles used by more than one person will also need to be smokefree. No-smoking signs will have to be displayed in all smokefree premises and vehicles, to make it clear where you can and can't smoke.

Secondhand smoke is bad for health because it is a recognised carcinogen, which means that it is known to cause cancer in humans. Secondhand smoke can significantly increase a non-smoker's likelihood of getting lung cancer or heart disease. And, because 85 per cent of secondhand smoke is invisible and odourless, even though you think your workplace, pub or club is not a particularly smoky place you maybe at more harm than you realise.

Secondhand smoke can also seriously harm the health of children, and can cause childhood respiratory disease and SIDS.

Secondhand smoke does not only affect the health of non-smokers, but it is not good for the health of smokers either. Smokefree England estimates that 75 per of the population does not smoke and of those that do 70 per cent want to give up.

Thanks to Smokefree for the information.