Should smoking be banned in pub beer gardens?

He said: “Banning smoking outside pubs and bars will discriminate against adults who quite legitimately prefer to smoke”.

The worst damage to health is caused by the tobacco in cigarettes, which – when burning – exposes users to chemicals such as tar and arsenic.

However, it is still the nicotine that makes people addicted to smoking.

RSPH is proposing “smoking exclusion zones” around pubs, bars and schools, where vaping is allowed but conventional smoking isn’t.

It found only 3 out of 134 stores checked did this already, but it’s survey found 70% of people would support making it mandatory. RSPH also urges local authorities to have more power to remove the licence of retailers not acting in accordance with tobacco legislation.

But he agrees that nicotine replacement products themselves can be a useful tool in helping smokers to quit.

The group believes giving e-cigarettes a new name to distance them from cigarettes would be beneficial.

“Most people smoke through habit and to get their nicotine hit”.

In a release to accompany the report Shirley Cramer, the organisation’s chief executive, described nicotine addiction as, “not too dissimilar to caffeine addiction”. That said, it says we should license all cigarette sellers, so they can have their ability to sell traditional cigarettes pulled if caught selling them to 13-years-olds.

“For many consumers e-cigarettes are a recreational product”. Director Simon Clark said: “While it makes sense to encourage smokers to switch from combustible cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, public health campaigns should be based on education not coercion and prohibition”.