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		MEP calls for review of smoking ban Wednesday, 4th June 2008 At a meeting at the Barley Mow pub in Granby Street, Leicester, on May 31st, local MEP Roger Helmer called for a review of the smoking ban which has led to a serious loss of business for many pubs and bars in the city. The meeting took place in the up-stairs bar of the pub, which before the ban would have been full of customers. It was organised by Phil Johnson of Freedom2Choose, a campaigning group, and attended by members of the licensed trade concerned about the impact of the smoking ban on their businesses. MEP Helmer admitted that he was a non-smoker, and that he himself hated smoking. But he argued that the decision to smoke was a personal choice that grown-up people were entitled to make. There had to be a balance between the rights of non-smokers to fresh air, and the right of smokers to smoke. He believed that a system of smoking areas or ventilated smoking rooms in licensed premises could protect the rights of both groups. The current legislation challenged smokers' fundamental right to choose their own life-style. Helmer said: "They tell us that smoking is dangerous, and I'm sure that's true. So is drinking. So is driving, and mountaineering, and bungee-jumping. The State has to learn that responsible citizens must be free to take risks. The Nanny State must back off and let adults make informed choices". The meeting heard from a number of licensees seriously concerned for the future of their businesses.