What does Forest stand for?
Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco.
When was it founded?
Forest was launched in 1979 by a former Battle of Britain fighter pilot (and pipe smoker) Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris. Legend has it that he was standing on the platform at Reading railway station, puffing on his pipe, when an old biddy walked up and demanded that he put it out. He was so annoyed that he decided to get a few like-minded individuals together and launch a campaign to defend smokers' rights. The rest, as they say, is history.
Who funds you?
Most of our money is donated by UK-based tobacco companies. A smaller sum comes from Friends of Forest (ordinary smokers and the occasional wealthy benefactor).
OK, but aren't you still just a mouthpiece for the tobacco industry?
No. We speak our mind as we see fit and we guard our independence jealously - whatever the cost. In 2001, for example, our decision to pursue a successful campaign against Customs and Excise cost us dearly when one tobacco company decided to withdraw funding because of our work in this area. C'est la vie. We represent smokers who choose to smoke and tolerant non-smokers, not the tobacco industry.
How many members do you have?
Forest is not a membership organisation. People can register their support for our work and make donations, but we are primarily a political and media lobby group.
Do you have any well-known supporters?
The late great Auberon Waugh, editor of the Literary Review, was a member of our Supporters' Council. Today our most outspoken supporter - he's also our patron - is TV chef and restaurateur Antony Worrall Thompson. Another active supporter is musician and writer Joe Jackson. Our Supporters Council also includes artist David Hockney, inventor Trevor Baylis and Oscar-winning playwright Ronald Harwood. Other supporters include Felix Dennis, whose transatlantic publishing empire includes Maxim and The Week, and artist Maggie Hambling.
Who are your spokesmen?
Simon Clark, director of Forest, is our principal spokesman. We also have Neil Rafferty, a freelance journalist who previously worked for the Sunday Times Scotland and the Press Association.
Do you really believe that smokers have rights?
We don't believe that smokers have the right to light up whenever and wherever they want. We urge smokers to be considerate to those around them, especially children. We do however believe that smokers - who represent almost a quarter of the adult population - should be accommodated where it's possible to do so without inconveniencing non-smokers. Why does smoking have to be banned in ALL enclosed public places? What's wrong with well-ventilated, designated smoking rooms or, better still, decent ventilation that can remove most of the tobacco smoke and allow smokers and non-smokers to socialise together? This is about freedom of choice, which is why so many non-smokers support our work.
So you accept restrictions on smoking?
Of course. We understand the need for restrictions - even bans - on smoking in many places. We oppose a comprehensive ban, however, because we believe that, with the help of technology, prohibition is unnecessary, illiberal and intolerant. Where private businesses are concerned (and that includes pubs and restaurants), we want the legislation amended so that pubs and clubs can apply for a licence that would enable them to offer a well-ventilated smoking room for customers and patrons.
Surely health considerations are paramount?
Good health is very important, but it's not the only factor in life. We accept that government has a role to play educating the nation about the health risks of smoking (and other activities) but in a free society freedom of choice and market forces are equally important. The anti-smoking culture that has developed in Britain is profoundly unhealthy because it encourages some people - employers and politicians, for example - to openly discriminate against a significant minority of the population. What next? Is government going to target fat people or those who, in the eyes of evangelical health campaigners, drink too much?
What about the rights of non-smokers to breathe clean air?
We urge smokers to be considerate to those around them, but many of us live and work in an urban environment full of car fumes and other chemicals, so why make such a fuss about a little bit of tobacco smoke that is massively diluted in the surrounding air? In the real world we all have our likes and dislikes and we have to be tolerant of other people's habits, one of which is smoking.
What is your policy on underage smoking?
Forest represents adult smokers. Adults are old enough to make a mature decision about whether or not they wish to smoke, taking into account the health risks and other factors such as cost. Children, in our opinion, are not which is why we don't want anyone under 18 to smoke. We are also against youth smoking because the issue is frequently used as a stick with which to beat adult smokers. Ban tobacco advertising, we were repeatedly told, because it allegedly influences children to start smoking. No mention of the adults who are now being denied legitimate information about a perfectly legal consumer product.
Do you provide information about smoking to children?
We can't control access to the information on our website, but if you are are under 18 and want further information (documents, reports etc) for a school essay or debate we do need a written request signed by your parent or teacher. This is to protect us as much as it is to protect you.
You've lost the battle on public smoking, what are you going to do next?
We may have lost the battle but the war against intolerance and excessive government intervention in our daily lives is there to be won and Forest will go on fighting. We will never stop arguing for exemptions to smoking ban, but our current role is to combat calls to extend smoking bans to outdoor public areas such as car parks, pavements, open air parks and beaches. We are also fighting the 'denormalisation' of smoking, the abuse of science with regard to the effects of passive smoking, and any form of discrimination against smokers, especially when it comes to employment.
If you have any more questions you would like us to answer, email contact@forestonline.org.