smoking indoors license

azamc · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:35

hi,

i was talking to a friend earlier and he mentioned something about it being legal to smoke indoors in a public place if you have a memebership or something along those lines...

i would like to know if i was to hypothtically start a shisha(hookah) lounge, is there any way to have it legal to smoke indoors. lets say i made it so only members can come in and not anyone from the public...

thanks

Solari · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:36

Weren't gentlemen's cigar smoking clubs or something made exempt from the ban?

dangerstat · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:37

Aren't private members clubs exempt from the smoking laws? Not sure TBH, I think you can still smoke in the house of commons perhaps you should locate your shisha bar there?

Skeeter · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:37

As far as im aware it illegal to smoke in any 'public' indoors place.

As soon as you make it private, its ok.

Youstolemyname · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:38

Any employees would have to sign a waiver to say they were happy to work in a smokey environment.

The coffeeshops in holland work this way...

Solari · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:42

dangerstat said:
Aren't private members clubs exempt from the smoking laws? Not sure TBH, I think you can still smoke in the house of commons perhaps you should locate your shisha bar there?

Stuff like CIU clubs are definitely not exempt because they employ staff who will have to put up with the smoke. I'm not sure there's such a thing as a waiver over here.

I guess if you formed a club with no employees then you might be able to get around it.

azamc · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:43

so let say at the entrance before they could come in they had to have a memebers card. and to become a memeber they can pay a instant £5 fee which will let them come in?

where can i call to find out more?

Rotty · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:44

spent the afternoon in local pub playing poker and smoking ban was still being blatantly ignored

CaseyChaos · 15 Dec 2008 at 00:45

Solari said:
Stuff like CIU clubs are definitely not exempt because they employ staff who will have to put up with the smoke. I'm not sure there's such a thing as a waiver over here.

I guess if you formed a club with no employees then you might be able to get around it.

yup I go to one of those clubs and it's still banned inside

azamc · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:00

All workplaces, including restaurants and cafes, will now be covered by the ban, but non-food pubs and private members clubs will be exempt.

from a bbc news artical.

any ideas on who to clal to find out more info?

Solari · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:08

Hrm, perhaps "food" is the reason it's banned in my local club then.

Sorry, can't help on where to find more - I would google but I'm not sure what Govt Dept this falls under.

aproctor · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:22

azamc said:
from a bbc news artical.

any ideas on who to clal to find out more info?

No, thats the "old ban" the full one was pushed through.

The only exemption is actors for on screen integrity (only when actually performing)

the sampling of cigars and pipe tobacco in tobacconists in designated areas,

Private hotel rooms, designated prison cells and work places only used by 1 person (ever)

company cars are exempt but fleet cars are not, unless its a soft top.

Any "enclosed" public space is banned.

So your home, your car, shop doorways etc are ok to smoke in "legally".

The ban encompases, cigarettes, Cigars, Pipes, Shisha and herbal cigarettes (legal ones) it is comprehensive so that people don't try to work loop holes, it was never meant to be enforced fully.

It is also an enviromental health issue and the police will not and cannot arrest you for it directly, although they would get you on something else if they wanted to i would imagine.

Scotlands varies in that criminals being interviewed can smoke, but actors cannot.

And Holland now has a smoking (tobacco) ban in coffee shops, weed only.

Strife212 · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:24

It must be legal because a club is not a public place.

aproctor · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:31

Strife212 said:
It must be legal because a club is not a public place.

Smoking in private members clubs is banned.

Strife212 · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:32

What counts as a private members club though? If I invited my friends round my house and called it a club then we're allowed to smoke surely.

aproctor · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:37

Strife212 said:
What counts as a private members club though? If I invited my friends round my house and called it a club then we're allowed to smoke surely.

No thats you calling your house a club, i didn't make the rules i am just telling you its banned in private clubs.

The exemptions are listed above.

Wicksta · 15 Dec 2008 at 01:40

What's a hookah lounge and where do I sign up?

GAC · 15 Dec 2008 at 02:47

its banned anywhere that employs staff be it a private club or not, the ban stands.

stoofa · 15 Dec 2008 at 02:55

Rotty said:
spent the afternoon in local pub playing poker and smoking ban was still being blatantly ignored

Now I know people will go on about "let people just do as they please" - but no.
My local is just that, my local.
I expect to be able to go in there and basically not killed.
Anyway, people were blatently breaking the rules so I made the local authorities (council) aware in a "non emergency" way.

I wasn't there when it happened but our local rag reports that the landlord of the place was given a pretty nasty fine when a spot check revealed what was going on.

Solari · 15 Dec 2008 at 04:18

stoofa said:
Now I know people will go on about "let people just do as they please" - but no.
My local is just that, my local.
I expect to be able to go in there and basically not killed.

If they were in a corner not causing trouble or choking me with their smoke I'd have not said a word, tbh.

I'm a non-smoker for the record. *shrug*