In Jamaica, smoking is accepted at many dining, entertainment and leisure venues, such as cafés, restaurants and bars.

Stacy Little, restaurant supervisor at TGI Friday's, a St Andrew diner with seamless smoking and no-smoking zones, conceded that fumes sometimes affected customers.

"It's not a secluded area so the fumes from the cigarettes get trapped in the non-smoking area and sometimes cause the customers to cough and sneeze," Little told The Gleaner.

Despite this, patrons are still allowed to continue the practice.

"It's not banned in the country so we don't want to enforce it here; we want to allow persons to feel free and comfortable," she said.

Carlos MaxBrown, head of Carlos' Café in New Kingston, stated that smoking is not a problem at his enterprise and he had no intention of implementing restrictions.

"There is a designated area for smokers and if the non-smokers want to sit there, it's up to them," MaxBrown said.

But Marilyn Bowie, public health nurse at the Linstead Health Centre, insists that a ban would help to insulate patrons in public areas from an increased risk of health dangers.

She said though instituting a ban would not necessarily discourage smoking, it would force persons to light up privately.

"If persons want to smoke, as long as they know the danger, it is up to them, but they should not put others at risk," she said.

Consensus emerged during interviews with smokers that enforcing a ban would be difficult and some believed that legislation was necessary.

Form of relaxation

Rodgerick Clarke disagrees with any plans to ban smoking in public spaces, arguing that it is a form of relaxation.

"Many persons have to smoke to calm their heads, and especially after finishing eating; it is something used to bring comfort," Clarke said.

On the other hand, Donald Weir, a chain smoker, said the law was necessary, as some persons were too disrespectful of others' personal space.

"I smoke hard but I know when and how to do it. That is a big problem," Weir said. "I think smoking must be banned in all public places because it is putting other persons at risk."