Ah finally, Singapore came around to what the rest of the civilized world was doing: banning smoking indoors. Contrary to popular belief that this will hurt businesses (particularly big listed companies such as Lifebrandz and FJ Benjamin which have a stake in the nightlife scene here), this could be the greatest thing to happen to Singaporean night establishments in a long time.

Lets look at what started the trend and got the ball rolling here in Asia. Hong Kong, a city that I think is way more tobacco savvy than us here in Singapore, went smoke free on New Years, something that I found surprising, and was one of the first cities in Asia to do so.

Thailand has introduced tough anti-smoking laws which have helped people there quit smoking.

Boston, where I went to school, kicked the habit a few years back. Let me tell you first-hand, it's glooooorious to be able to breath in a bar or club without smoking and know you are not pumping cancer causing agents into your system. Now, I like the party scene in Singapore a whole lot more than Boston because it's so diverse and energetic. But on the whole, a night out in Boston was almost better simply because I came home and didn't have to shower to get the burning smell and stench of cigarettes out of my skin.

Thankfully, I'll be able to save the utility bill a bit here too thanks to the new law.

It was really New York that was the trend setter that started the whole no smoking indoors fad. It's unusual for me to heap praise on New York with all the things I don't particularly like about it (you'll have to understand Boston has a bit of a rivalry with New York, starting first with baseball), but in this case i bow down to them for starting a global trend that will only save countless lives and people from the horrors of second hand smoke. New York, I tip my hat to you.

But while die-hard smokers complain about the new law in effect here in Singapore, and club managers are worrying about a drop in volumes and revenue, I say there is absolutely nothing to worry about. In fact, this is great for business! Here's why:

Are a mass of people actually going to stop going out just because of this? Highly unlikely. While I have heard figures that some club managers are predicating a 15%-20% drop in business (maybe even 30% in some cases), did they ever think about those that simply didn't go out before because the stench of smoke in the clubs was just too much? People that stayed home on party nights before the ban could easily make up for those smokers that are so angry that they won't go out.

But beyond this from a business perspective, look at it from a health perspective: we're all going to be breathing cleaner, healthier air, and living longer. Our lungs will thank us. As a WHO conference convenes this week in Bangkok in drafting up a global action plan to get everyone to kick the habit, a story out the other day said that 1 billion people this century could die from tobacco related diseases if something isn't done. 1 BILLION!

According to Douglas Bettcher, head of the WTO's Tobacco Free Initiative, 5.4 million people a year die due to tobacco related products and illnesses, half of those in developing countries.

Initially, health concerns were the main reason for bars, restaurants, and clubs in the U.S. to go smoke free, mainly out of concern for employees of those establishments. The second hand smoke over the course of 15 years could be just as bad as a pack a day smoker for a year or two or more for someone who works five nights a week as a bartender.

Furthermore, the argument that smoking 'is a right' and those that are smokers should have the right to smoke anywhere they want is also far fetched. Smoking is a privilege, not something that you are entitled to. end of story (I won't entertain views of the opposite, but feel free to posts your comments). To smokers making the argument that smoking is a right: you don't have the right to spread toxic garbage into non-smokers lungs in public. If you're in the privacy of your own home, go right ahead. But saying you have the right to smoke in public is like saying "hey, i have the right to kill you...it may take a couple years, but let me get the ball rolling so you die sooner." Give me a break...

To everyone in Singapore, this is the best thing to happen to public health globally and it is finally coming to our town. Hooray! From the bottom of my heart, and lungs, i have nothing but praise that this is finally in effect.

And to businesses here, don't worry! This is a good thing.

Curtis Bergh

Labels: bar, cigarettes, club, nightlife, Singapore, Smoking ban