19/12/2013

Outdoor Smoking Ban To Be Enforced In Somerset

Taunton Deane Borough Council in Somerset have announced a smoking ban for children's outdoor play areas.

A pilot scheme of the Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control will be launched in Taunton, with the council saying that, if successful, it could be extended to all public areas it is responsible for.

The scheme however has been slammed as the "bluntest form of paternalism".

The BBC report that Chris Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: "There are no public health benefits to banning smoking outdoors because there's no risk from passive smoking whatsoever outdoors and there never will be.

"They can dress it up as they like but this is the bluntest form of paternalism."

(MH)


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