Plan for smoking ban does not go far enough
Government plans to ban smoking in most enclosed public places squander an opportunity to provide proper protection from smoking, in the view of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
The Society’s President, Hemant Patel, said that he was deeply
disappointed that the proposed measures fell short of a complete ban
on smoking.
“It is simply not acceptable that the people of England and Wales
will not enjoy the same protections as the people of Scotland and Northern
Ireland,” he said.
The Society is to call on the Government to amend the Bill so that it
provides for a complete smoking ban in public places.
Mr Patel said: “The pharmacy profession is doing its utmost to
help people quit smoking. A ban on smoking in public would help support
smokers who want to quit as well as protecting people from others’ smoke.”
The public health charity Pharmacy-HealthLink has described the Bill
as a fiasco that shows a shocking lack of understanding of the public
health issues involved. The fact that the Government has stopped short
of a total ban in all public places, including pubs and clubs, is nothing
short of a distorted response to the evidence, it says.
“Our understanding of public health issues is based on evidence
and science, and nowhere is there a clearer demonstration of the need
to take society-wide
action based on evidence, than in tobacco,” said PHLink director
Geof Raynor. |
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