Twenty years after Scotland banned smoking in pubs, restaurants and workplaces, the tobacco industry is using the exact same dirty tricks to fight the UK’s new generational ban, experts from the University of Stirling have revealed.
The landmark law that came into force on 26 March 2006 saved thousands of lives and changed Scotland forever. Yet as the nation prepares to celebrate that milestone in 2026, the same companies that lost the battle then are now trying to weaken the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at Westminster.
The 2006 Victory That Big Tobacco Never Accepted
Scotland’s smoking ban was a world first in many ways. It protected bar staff, restaurant workers and millions of customers from deadly second-hand smoke overnight.
Heart attack admissions dropped 17% in the first year alone. Childhood asthma attacks fell sharply. Pubs did not close; they thrived with cleaner air and new family customers.
Former First Minister Jack McConnell, who drove the law through as leader in 2006 and is now Chancellor of the University of Stirling, remains proud.
“We saved lives, transformed Scotland’s hospitality culture, and won public support despite the ferocious campaign against the ban,” Lord McConnell said. “It was legislation at its best.”
Same Playbook, New Target
A newly republished 2005 ASH Scotland report, The Unwelcome Guest, shows how tobacco giants paid publicans to protest, funded fake grassroots groups, and flooded media with scare stories about job losses.
Dr Rachel O’Donnell from Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health says those tactics are back.
“We are seeing many of the same moves again,” she warned. “Front groups, distorted evidence, claims of black markets; everything they tried in 2005-2006 is being recycled to limit the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.”
The new UK law will make it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. Anyone turning 18 in 2027 will never legally buy cigarettes.
Scotland’s devolved powers will also let ministers extend smoke-free areas further, such as playgrounds, hospital grounds and outdoor seating.
Progress Made, But Children Still Breathe Smoke
Scotland has come far, yet the job is not finished.
Smoking rates among adults have fallen from 31% in 2003 to around 11% today. But tobacco still kills about 9,000 people a year in Scotland.
Worryingly, recent studies show one in five non-smoking adults still breathe second-hand smoke on any given day, often in doorways or home entrances.
Professor Sean Semple, also from Stirling, said more smoke-free spaces are urgently needed.
“We changed the culture once,” he said. “We can do it again and protect another generation.”
Key wins since 2006 include:
- Raised purchase age to 18
- Plain packaging introduced
- Ban on vending machines
- Tax increases that cut youth smoking sharply
- Vaping regulations to stop children being hooked on nicotine
Why This Fight Matters More Than Ever
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, issued a clear warning to politicians.
“Scotland’s elected representatives must recognise and reject interference by the tobacco industry and its allies,” she said.
“That interference still distorts consultations, delays progress and tries to keep deadly products on sale.”
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill cleared the House of Commons with a huge majority and is now in the House of Lords. Peers including Lord McConnell will scrutinise it in the coming weeks.
If it passes unchanged, Britain will have one of the toughest anti-smoking regimes on earth, following New Zealand’s lead before they backed down under industry pressure.
Two decades after Scotland showed the world how to go smoke-free indoors, the country has a chance to help end smoking for good.
Thousands of Scottish lives have already been saved because brave politicians stood up to Big Tobacco in 2006.
Today, a new generation of leaders faces the same choice: listen to the evidence and protect children, or cave in to the same old lobbyists selling the same old lies.
Scotland chose life once. It must choose it again.
What do you think twenty years on? Are you proud Scotland led the way, or angry tobacco firms are still fighting? Share your thoughts below and use #ScotlandsSmokeFree20 on social media.
