Clearing The Air

Clearing the Air is a thought-provoking and expansive study of the smoking ban, presenting a behind-the-scenes account of how the ban was implemented amid a climate of warring interests and a wary general public.

The book looks at the influence of all the major players in the drama, from Health Minister Micheál Martin and other health-promotion advocates, who championed the ban, to the publicans, hoteliers, tobacco and drinks industry interests, and TDs who sometimes fiercely opposed it. Clearing The Air also examines estimated long-term implications of the ban for the health of the Irish people, for the hospitality sector and for international anti-smoking efforts, as countries across Europe increasingly adopt plans for similar measures.

The book emphasizes the magnitude of health crises experienced by sufferers of Nicotine addiction and attempts to measure the footprint of that crisis on an individual and societal level. Clearing the Air also features a foreword by Jeffrey Wigand - made famous in the Russell Crowe/Al Pacino film The Insider which dramatized Wigand's courage in blowing the whistle on big tobacco in the U.S. in the 1990's.