The British Medical Association (BMA) has sought to 'clear the air' on smoking myths reinforcing its call for a UK-wide ban on smoking in public places.

The legislation, already introduced in Ireland and supported by many in the Labour government, could pose a threat to pubs and restaurants for whom a significant portion of their clientele are smokers.

High-street pub chain JD Wetherspoon has already issued a ban on smoking in a number 11 of its pubs and opened six new smoke-free pubs, with plans to double the number to over 60 over the next few months.

New sales figures, however, show a sharp drop in pubs where smoking has been banned.

JD Wetherspoon's finance director Jim Clarke said it is too early to draw any certain conclusions and said that the drop in bar trade is balanced by a gradual increase in food sales. Pub gardens, he said, are also drawing a number of customers back.

The BMA report states that sales figures from Ireland, Norway and other countries that have introduced a smoking ban do not match industry fears. Ireland and Norway both saw declines in bar sales but at rates much lower than figures from the previous year.

Industry critics also say the smoking ban would be impossible to enforce, but the BMA disagrees.

This is another myth, the BMA report states. In Ireland, it says, 96% of licensed premises complied with the ban, and 97% of restaurants and bars have complied with a similar ban in New York.

The BMA report states that second-hand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers by 20-30%.

Around 70% of the UK adult population does not smoke, it says, and the current statute is discriminatory against workers in traditionally low-paid jobs in bars and cafés who often have no choice but to inhale others' smoke.

It says the current 56% support for restriction in the UK will grow as international experience shows that introducing anti-smoking legislation makes people more aware of the adverse health impacts of second-hand smoke.

A recent survey by the Office of Tobacco Control found that 93% of the Irish, including 80% of smokers, now support the ban in their country.

"Recent research reports that passive smoking kills 30 people each day," said James Johnson, chairman of the BMA. "The true cost of delaying legislation is not financial, it is human."