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Historically, public health has significantly improved the nation's life cycle and overall health. The Public Health Act had a key role in the introduction of medical officers, sanitation, and waste management systems into local communities as early as 1848. Over the past 200 years, significant progress has been made in various fields that impact public health, including planning, infrastructure, food, technology, cleanliness, medicine, and planning.

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For good reason, this is probably the only item on the list about which practically any member of the public could tell you something. A significant change in public perception was brought about by the historic 2007 law that outlawed smoking in enclosed public areas. Laws of this nature don't happen very often. Most people have long since forgotten the sight and smell of smoke-filled bars, clubs, restaurants, and workplaces; for the younger generation, it may be difficult to believe that such places ever existed in the first place. This demonstrates how important the indoor smoking ban has been in de-normalizing public smoking, in addition to the apparent health benefits of lower smoking rates (passive and active) since 2007.

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Most importantly, the smoking prohibition has contributed to the balance being shifted from smokers' rights to harm others to others' rights not to be poisoned. The degree of public support for the law has increased to 83% in the twelve years after it was introduced, which is indicative of this. The majority of smokers now even support the ban, with 52% in favor and only 25% against. According to ASH polling conducted earlier this year, public support for the government's intensified efforts to restrict smoking has grown dramatically since the smoking ban was implemented. It went from 29% in 2009 to 39% in 2017 and 46% in 2019.

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Smoking and its effects on Health - Stop today!

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This change has had broader effects, possibly giving ideas that previously seemed unworkable more momentum. For example, smoking was outlawed in private vehicles for people under the age of eighteen in 2015, plain cigarette packaging was implemented in 2016, and there are an increasing number of voluntary and local campaigns to create smoke-free public areas outside. The government just declared this year that it wants to eradicate smoking by 2030, and one way it plans to finance this objective is by imposing an industry-wide fee.C

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Much work still needs to be done. Smoking continues to be the most preventable cause of death, and the state of health inequality is concerning. More needs to be done to lower persistently high rates among regular and manual laborers, as well as people with mental health issues, among other groups. Even yet, the UK has made great progress in lowering rates, and the smoking ban helped to establish the extensive tobacco control program that is in place today.

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Rsph. (n.d.). Top 20 public health achievements of the 21st Century. RSPH. https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/policy/top-20-public-health-achievements-of-the-21st-century.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, November 30). Smokefree Policies Improve Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/protection/improve-health.htm

YouTube. (2013, February 26). Smoking and its effects on health - stop today!. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW6hwmdZbmE