FOR the thousands of non-smokers throughout Lothian, March 26 will go down as the day they were finally able to breathe easy.
But even among those who are looking forward to Sunday’s ban, there are some for whom the countdown just can’t pass quickly enough. They have long been desperate to be able to walk into a bar or sit in a restaurant knowing that at no point will they have to inhale someone else’s cigarette smoke.

Here five people tell why they’re delighted that Scotland’s public places are set to become smoke-free zones.
• Robert Crombie, 65, a retired company director from East London Street
While Robert was “frightened to death” when told his lungs showed the telltale scarring of a lifelong smoker, he was also incredulous - because he has never smoked in his life.
Today, he recalls his horror at discovering that decades of drinking in smoky pubs had damaged his health so badly.
And he is looking forward to celebrating the arrival of the smoking ban which will allow him to return to his favourite locals after years of shunning them for fear of suffering more severe health problems.
“I used to go for a drink after work most nights and the smoke would nip my eyes and stink my clothes but I never gave passive smoking a thought. Then, two years ago, I had a chest infection. My doctor gave me antibiotics which cleared it up, but weeks later I was still bringing up phlegm in the mornings so I was sent for an X-ray.
“The report said that there was ‘increased marking on the lungs consistent with those of a chronic smoker’. It frightened me to death because I have never smoked in my life. My GP said all she could put it down to was standing in smoky pubs for 40 years. I was shocked.”
He adds: “I didn’t need any treatment but I stopped going to a lot of the pubs that I used to drink in because they were smoky and a lot of people I knew smoked.
“If the rugby was on I would normally have watched it in the pub, but instead I watched it at home. I have tried to find non-smoking pubs and I know of three that already exist in Edinburgh, but I can’t wait until Sunday when the ban comes into force. It will be terrific.”
• Ian Edmond, 27, a World Championship 200-metre breast-stroke silver medallist and medical student from Newington
When his fingers touched the tiles of the pool and he heard the applause, Ian Edmond knew he’d added another medal to his collection. This time it was gold at the British Long Course Championships in Sheffield - to add to silver he’d picked up in 2003 at the World Championships in Barcelona.
It was the culmination of years of hard work - and of battling asthma.
Since retiring from the sport two years ago, though, the only problem he’s had with the condition for which he uses inhalers, is going to the pub - which as a medical student at Edinburgh University should be frequently. “But I really have to avoid smoky atmospheres because it triggers my asthma, and also I hate stinking of cigarette smoke, so I don’t get to the pub quite as often as a I should,” he laughs. “If I’m in a smoky atmosphere I wake up the next day quite short of breath and wheezy. That’s why I’m looking forward to Sunday so much. To be able to go for a drink and not be choking on smoke, it’ll be great.”
Ian, who admits he’s felt pangs of envy this week watching his fellow team-mates collect medals in Melbourne (his Commonwealth record was also broken), adds that working in A&E at the Royal Infirmary has also added to his anti-smoking feelings.
“You see people coming in with emphysema, heart disease, strokes and a lot of those illnesses are down to smoking. Anything which encourages people to give up has to be a good thing. The ban is a fantastic idea for health.”
• Euan Burton, 26, European judo bronze medallist from Granton
Like Ian, Euan has already successfully beaten asthma to become a sporting champion. And while he has little time to spend in smoky pubs where the polluted air could exacerbate his condition, with his sights set on Olympic victory in two years, he believes that banning smoking in enclosed public spaces across Scotland can only help his future prospects.
When the ban comes into force he will be competing in Sweden - where smoking is already banned in public places - and will have little time to celebrate.
But as well as his own personal reasons for welcoming the ban, he also hopes that it will bring a far wider benefit by helping many more people lead healthier, more active lives.
“I’ve had asthma pretty much from birth, and I was in and out of hospital as a child. Now it is quite easy to control if I take my inhalers when I’m supposed to.
“But it does effect my asthma if I am in a smoky bar or club and I do try to keep out of smoky environments at all times, so it can curtail some social occasions. But like most people at a high level in sport I don’t have a huge amount of time to socialise!
“In some ways having asthma has helped motivate me in my sport because I know I have to be fitter than other athletes.”
He adds: “I think it is a fantastic thing for the health of the nation because it should discourage people from smoking completely.
“You often hear people saying they only smoke when they are out for the night, and having to go outside now for a cigarette will hopefully put them off.”
• Dr Margaret Chambers, 60, a retired GP from Firth, near Penicuik
Working in a pub, you might expect friends and family to be happy to call in and see you from time to time. But in the five years since Colin Bell moved to Edinburgh he has never once had a visit from his aunt.
Until this Sunday, when Dr Margaret Chambers has finally agreed to go with her husband, children and grandchildren to drop in for the first time. Like many people, Margaret has shunned pubs for years because of the stink of smoke and the health risks it poses. As a retired GP she knows all too well how serious the effects can be.
“As a GP I saw a lot of patients with chronic bronchitis, I’m sure the ban will benefit a lot of people, both smokers and non-smokers. It will be wonderful for us to see Colin and to stop avoiding pubs.”
Colin, 29, who is the licensee at The Office on Lothian Road, says: “I’m delighted that she is finally coming to see me this Sunday. It’s always nice to see a friendly face when you’re working. She is very anti-smoking. Although I moved to Edinburgh five years ago she has never come to see me in any of the pubs I have worked in.”
Colin - who smoked himself until about six years ago - adds: “There are probably a lot of people like her who will come to the pub now. Pubs are seen as smoky, dingy places . . . it’s not a positive image.
“I don’t think The Office is a particularly smoky pub, but an outright ban will be much better. Three months ago we made half the tables smoking and half non-smoking. The non-smoking side filled up much more quickly.”
Obviously smoking and passive smoking will exacerbate your asthma symptoms. However, by nasal breathing, as shown in the Buteyko clinic, the filters in the nose will eradicate most of the pollutants being inhaled