The impact of the Scottish ban on smoking in public places upon nightclubs and their patrons

Abstract

In many jurisdictions around the world, the policy of banning tobacco smoking from public places has been progressively introduced. This has included the prohibition of smoking on premises licensed for the sale and consumption of alcohol, such as bars, restaurants and pubs. Of all these types of venues, the one which would appear to present the greatest challenge for operators attempting to manage the impact of this policy is nightclubs. This article examines how the introduction of a comprehensive nationwide smoking ban in Scotland was managed by city centre nightclubs and how this was viewed by their patrons. On the plus side, there was a high level of compliance and support for the ban among nightclub patrons who had quickly accepted the (tobacco) smoke-free environment as normal. However, there were also some problems, including door management difficulties, the stretching of security staff resources, increased fear of drinks “spiking” and the prospect that outdoor smoking scene (i.e. “smirting” – smoking and flirting) had very quickly become a desirable part of the nightclub experience.

• Smoking-ban
• licensed premises

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Andy Boyd, Jemma Lennox, Katie O’Neil and Tom Woods, the observers in this research, and also the anonymous interviewees.

Declaration of interest

This article is based on research funded by the Alcohol Education Research Council (AERC).