Just weeks before Ontario implements a ban on the retail display of all tobacco products, new research from the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit at the University of Toronto shows that consumers have been bombarded by extensive tobacco promotion at point of sale.

Although smoke-free policies have been introduced at all NHS Hospital Trusts a study by researchers at The University of Nottingham has found that smoking is still prevalent, even by staff in uniform.

The number of acute coronary events such as heart attack in adults dropped significantly after a smoking ban in public places in Italy, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In France and a large part of Germany, smoking has been banned in hotels, restaurants and bars. The ban has been introduced in 11 of the 16 German states, including the capital Berlin. The other five states will follow suit later in the year.

Since the smoking ban came into force in June, over 10% of hospitality workers have suffered threats or actual violence after asking customers to stop smoking.

The smoking ban has not only improved air quality in Irish pubs but also appears to have improved the quality of the music, according to doctors in a letter to this week's BMJ.

It's Labor Day weekend and you have packed the family into the car for the two-hour drive to grandma's house. Because of the heat, you crank the AC and keep the windows closed. The problem is you are a smoker and after just two cigarettes you will have exposed your spouse and kids to particulates at a level well above government safety standards.

A national workplace ban on smoking in Ireland resulted in an 83 percent reduction in air pollution in pubs, an 80 percent decrease in airborne carcinogens for patrons and staff, and an improvement in the respiratory health of bar workers, according to a one-year follow-up study.