Public Indoor Smoking to be Extinguished

The three parties contesting the general election have pledged to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces. The commitment was made during a debate on the environment on GBC on Thursday. The PDP made a statement also in their press conference yesterday and a GSLP/Lib spokesman made a statement on the issue. “As Gibraltar takes its place amongst the community of modern European nations, we need to make changes and reforms, not just to our political system, we must also make changes to our daily lives. Smoking is regarded as dangerous even by most smokers and we accept that the overwhelming medical evidence points to smoking as a source of cancer and other ill-health. Passive smoking has also been shown to be damaging to health and can affect children as well as adults,” he said. “Most European nations now have in place bans on smoking in enclosed public places that even many smokers welcome. Government offices are already subject to a smoking ban, as are most private sector offices. We will introduce a ban on smoking in enclosed public places in Gibraltar which will be accompanied by a GHA programme to help those who want to stop smoking to do so. We will offer restaurants, bars and social clubs generous tax and rates advantages to amortise any potential loss of business as a result of the smoking ban,” said the Alliance statement. “This is an important progressive step for Gibraltar that should enjoy cross party support. Scientific evidence suggests that smoke in confined places is bad for people who do not smoke especially young children. There will therefore also be a permanent “Anti-Smoking” campaign in comprehensive schools and youth clubs.”