CALLS for a ban on smoking in public to be extended to outdoor areas of pubs and restaurants in Scotland have been rejected by the public health minister.
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) says the smoking ban, introduced in Scotland in 2006, should be broadened to include more outdoor areas and also suggested prohibition around schools, public parks and squares.
The move comes as a new survey found one in three smokers said it would make them more likely to give up.
But the Scottish Government said it had no plans to take the idea forward, and the pro-smoking lobby said furthering the ban would "discriminate" against smokers.
The RSPH charity – which includes more than 6,000 public health professionals in its ranks – says their ban extension could be achieved through legislation to introduce smoking exclusion zones, in which using combustible tobacco products is prohibited, but the use of an e-cigarette in the zone is permitted.
It says this would "significantly reduce the convenience of smoking" with the potential to encourage a greater number of smokers to move to "safer sources of nicotine".
The body said that would also reduce the visibility of cigarette usage and serve to further "denormalise" smoking, therefore potentially discouraging people, particularly children, from beginning to smoke in the future.
It says a similar approach has been taken by several cities around the world, including New York, with "considerable success".
In its report, RSPH said research it commissioned found that one in three of Scots surveyed said they agreed that banning smoking from outside pubs would make them less likely to smoke cigarettes. A similar proportion said it would make them more likely to use alternatives such as e-cigarettes or Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
The survey carried out by Populus in August found that 50% of Scots would be more likely to use outside areas in pubs and bars if the ban was extended, while a third of smokers would turn to e-cigarettes to get round the prohibition.
However half of Scots smokers surveyed said banning smoking from outside pubs would make them continue to smoke but would move further away to do so.
Maureen Watt, the public health minister said: “Smoking is extremely harmful to health – each year, tobacco use is associated with over 13,000 deaths and 56,000 hospital admissions in Scotland. We are committed to tackling this by reducing the number of people smoking and reducing exposure to second hand smoke.
“Local authorities already have the ability to implement smoke-free outdoor policies in areas such as school grounds or play parks. The Scottish Government has included a measure in the forthcoming Health Bill to prohibit smoking in the vicinity of hospital buildings.
“Decisions on whether to allow smoking in the outdoor areas of pubs and restaurants are a matter for the individual businesses concerned."
RSPH chief executive Shirley Cramer said: "Over 100,000 people die from smoking-related disease every year in the UK. While we have made good progress to reduce smoking rates, one in five of us still does.
"Most people smoke through habit and to get their nicotine hit. Clearly we would rather people didn't smoke, but guidance on reducing the harm from tobacco, using safer forms of nicotine such as NRT and e-cigarettes are effective in helping people quit."
Smokers' lobby group Forest welcomed the RSPH's announcement that "nicotine is no more harmful to health than caffeine".
But Forest director Simon Clark added: "While it makes sense to encourage smokers to switch from combustible cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, public health campaigns should be based on education, not coercion and prohibition.
"Banning smoking outside pubs and bars would discriminate against adults who enjoy smoking."
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