In response to Mrs Garfield's letter concerning the upcoming ban on smoking in public places, she seems to forget the effects that smoking has on other people in the pubs she is speaking of, particularly the people who have to work there.

All new research on the effects of passive smoking increasingly demonstrate how drastically it can affect the health of non-smokers; according to research undertaken by Imperial College, London, 700 people die due to the effects of passive smoking in the workplace every year.

Whether someone smokes or not is of course a personal matter but when it affects other people in such a way the ban is surely a good thing.

No-one is suggesting a ban on smoking in your own home, as long as all those who inhale these toxic chemicals are able to consent to it.

I agree that police time could be better spent; but a crime is a crime, and there wouldn't be a need for such a law if all smokers smoke considerately, which unfortunately they don't.

J Head, Halesowen