March 07, 2015

Smoking bans don't hamper the habit

Social factors more likely to help quitting

By Daniel Craig
PhillyVoice Staff

Darron Cummings, File/AP

Tobacco kills one in 10 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

A new study says that smoking bans aren't effective in causing people to quit, but friends and family are.

The study, which was published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, used research compiled in Quebec, Canada, where a public smoking ban took effect in 2006.

What the study found was that the law simply forced smokers to take the habit in to their homes as opposed to smoking outside.

Instead, a bigger factor in pushing people towards giving up cigarettes is seeing a friend or family member give them up as well, setting an example.

According to Sylvia Kairouz, an associate professor in Concordia University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology and one of the researchers for the study, a number of things need to be taken in to account to promote quitting:

“There needs to be an integrated approach of ecological measures along with taxation, prevention and information. But one of the most important components is to have public health services available for people who are trying to quit.”

Philadelphia enacted a $2-per-pack tax on Cigarettes in November of 2014. Smoke Free Philly provides resources for smokers looking to quit, which can be found here.