Scotland Plans to Ban Some Public Smoking

EDINBURGH, Scotland – Scotland will ban smoking in enclosed public places, First Minister Jack McConnell said, confirming an expected move to follow Ireland in enacting a sweeping ban.

McConnell said Wednesday that the legislation would be launched before Christmas, proposing a target date of spring 2006 for full implementation.

Licensees or employers who violated the law would face fines up to $4,600, and persistent offenders could lose their licenses. Individual smokers would face fines up to $1,850.

“Too many people smoke, and too many people die or fall ill from cancer, stroke and heart disease,” McConnell told the Scottish Parliament. “The single largest cause of preventable premature death in Scotland is smoking.”

The British Medical Association. the Royal College of Nursing and the public sector union Unison all supported the ban. The Medical Association said smoking-related diseases kill 13,000 people in Scotland each year.

Operators of pubs and bars, represented by the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, said a ban would cost them business and result in jobs being lost.

Speaking before the Cabinet meeting confirming the decision to ban smoking, Deputy Health Minister Rhona Brankin said politicians had a responsibility to save lives.

“Scotland has one of the worst health reputations in western Europe, with one in four of all death attributable to smoking,” she said in an interview with the British Broadcast Corp.