Unintended consequences of the smoking ban

Any government intervention in the market can give us cause to consider the Law of Unintended Consequences where a policy decision or action leads to fresh actions which might not have been considered by those putting a policy in place. Some of these knock-on effects can be positive, a windfall that enhances the impact of the original decision. Others can be negative leading to fears of government failure and a deepening of an existing problem or market failure. The smoking ban seems to be providing a rich seam of examples of such unintended blow-back effects.

There is growing evidence that the smoking ban has had a major impact on cigarette consumption among certain groups. But some of the side effects are starting to become apparent. One is the rising mountain of litter created by the millions of cigarette stubs casually tossed aside by smokers forced out into the open air because of the ban on smoking in ‘enclosed areas’. This BBC news audio-visual clip provides a vivid and nifty illustration of the problem.

A second negative unintended consequence has been a surge in demand for and use of open-air patio heaters, widely regarded as a very inefficient way of providing heating for patrons of pubs, clubs and restaurants and which are very energy intensive contributing to C02 emissions. A typical pub patio heater emits more than 4 tonnes of C02 emissions per year, more than the average car. Some superstores now refuse to sell patio heaters. here is another BBC news audio-visual clip on the heated topic of patio warmers.

Can you think of other side-effects of the smoking ban that might come under the banner of ‘unintended consequences’?

Euro MPs back patio heaters ban