Pharmacists urged to support public smoking ban
Pharmacists are being called on to join a campaign that aims to get smoking banned in public places.
The call follows action taken this week by the British Medical Association.
On 6 July, the BMA delivered a giant cigarette packet containing 4,500
letters from doctors calling for a ban on smoking in all workplaces in
the UK to the Prime Minister.
Miriam Armstrong, chief executive of PharmacyHealthLink, told The
Journal: “Given
the way that doctors have come out and supported the proposed ban we
think pharmacists should do something similar to show their commitment
to public health.”
So PharmacyHealthLink is calling on pharmacists to write to it to express
support for a ban on smoking in public places. “Once we have received
over 1,000 letters we will take them to the Department of Health,” said
Ms Armstrong. She added that pharmacists should also be ensuring that
their premises, as workplaces, are smoke-free.
Pharmacists wishing to support the campaign should write to PharmacyHealthLink,
e-mail info@pharmacyhealthlink.org or
1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN.
Smoking in Scottish public
houses A report in the national media
this week that smoking is to be banned in public houses in Scotland
is premature. It might, however, be an outcome of a consultation
on banning smoking in public places launched by the Scottish Executive
last month. The consultation aims to find out whether the Scottish
population want more public places to become smoke-free. “There
is a possibility of legislation to ban smoking in pubs but the consultation
is ongoing and ministers have not made up their minds, yet,” a
spokesman for the Scottish Executive said this week. A similar
consultation is under way in England.
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