Prominent American sociologist Charles Wright Mills describes a private problem/trouble as “a private matter: values cherished by an individual are felt by him to be threatened”. He also states that “Troubles occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his immediate relations with others; they have to do with his self and with those limited areas of social life of which he is directly and personally aware” C. Wright Mills (1959: 08). Mills (1958: 08) then goes on to explain that a public issue is “a public matter: some value cherished by publics is felt to be threatened.” A private problem becomes a social issue when it no longer affects just the individual and those immediately around him or her, it is when it begins to have an effect on the wider public or society as a whole. Smoking is an example of a private problem that became a social issue. It is a private problem for the smoker due to the health issues that result from it, such as cancer, heart disease and emphysema. Recently, there is also a stigma attached to smoking, and the smoker may be made to feel like an outcast, which again, is a private problem. Smoking became a public issue due to many factors. These include secondhand smoking which is known to cause the same health problems as firsthand smoking. Another public issue resulting from smoking is the cost of treating the health issues mentioned above. According to ASH (2008) “Smoking cost the NHS £2.7 billion in 2006/07; more than £50 million each week spent treating diseases caused by smoking.” The British Medical Association tells us that around one hundred thousand people in the UK die each year from diseases caused by smoking. In Scotland alone that is a colossal 24% of all deaths. That terrifying statistic in Scotland lead to the Scottish government introducing the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005. This act made it unlawful to smoke in any enclosed public spaces in Scotland, and fines of £50 for the smoker, and £200 for the owner of the premises are now issued. Influences on the Making of Social Policy Some of the major influences on the making of social policy include; The European Union, The Human Rights Act (1998), Demographic Change, Political Parties, and Pressure Groups. For the purpose of this paper I am going to concentrate on only two of these, Demographic Change, and Pressure Groups. Demographic change is a change in population, such as an increase or a decrease in the number of people living in a certain country. It may also be that a country’s population is aging, which is currently the case in Scotland. According to the Scottish government “The estimated population of Scotland on 30 June 2012 was 5,313,600, with 17% of people estimated