News Releases
Prisons minister urged to amend prison smoking ban
Sun 19th August, 2018
Forest has urged the government to tackle the problem of drugs and violent assaults in England's prisons by amending the prison smoking ban and allowing designated smoking areas.
The call follows the announcement by prisons minister Rory Stewart that he will resign if the use of drugs and assaults do not fall in ten problem jails.
Simon Clark, director of Forest, said:
"Incidents of self-harm and assaults in prisons are at record levels and the use of illegal drugs is rife, yet the government insists on banning tobacco, a legal product.
"Allowing prisoners to smoke might actually help address the far more serious problems Rory Stewart is trying to solve."
Challenging the prisons minister – who in June tweeted, 'Delighted to confirm that we have just achieved one hundred per cent smoke free prisons' – to amend the ban on smoking in prisons, Clark said:
"By offering to resign if his programme of reforms doesn't succeed, Rory Stewart has shown himself to be an honourable politician.
"But he also needs to be pragmatic and in the real world a substantial number of prisoners enjoy smoking.
"No-one should be surprised that if you take away one of their few pleasures there will be negative consequences.
"We challenge Mr Stewart to test the theory by allowing designated smoking areas in half of the ten problem prisons he has chosen to target.
"He can then compare one set of prisons against the other to see if permitting smoking makes any difference to the problem of drugs and violent assaults."
Previous story
Cautious welcome for report on e-cigarettesIn this section
Browse Stories
-
2023
-
September
-
May
-
April
-
March
-
January
-
-
2022
-
December
-
October
-
September
-
July
-
June
-
January
-
-
2021
-
December
-
November
-
October
-
September
-
August
-
July
-
June
-
May
-
March
-
February
-
-
2020
-
November
-
October
-
September
-
August
-
July
- Forest condemns Local Government Association call to ban smoking outside pubs, cafes and restaurants
- Forest condemns move to ban smoking outside pubs and cafes
- Forest rejects claim that plain packaging was responsible for "accelerating" decline in cigarette sales
- Scotland's CMO told to stop fuelling "unwarranted fears" about smoking and vaping
-
May
- Councils must prioritise help for local businesses not stop smoking services
- Menthol cigarette ban is a "gross restriction on consumer choice that will do nothing to stop children smoking"
- Prohibition: A bad idea that won't go away
- Almost three million smokers unaware of menthol cigarette ban
- Forest slams call for new rules on smoking outside pubs and cafes if government relaxes lockdown regulations
- Menthol cig ban will hit smokers at the worst possible time says Forest
-
April
-
March
-
February
-
-
2019
-
October
-
September
- Implying that smokers are a financial burden to society is "dishonest" and "economically illiterate" says Forest
- Ban on flavoured e-cigarettes would be a "massive own goal"
- Ireland: ‘Butt Out’ campaign aims to stop cigarette vending machine ban
- Poll: Public split on effectiveness of tobacco control laws
- Ban on flavoured e-cigarettes would be "criminal", says Forest
- Budget 2020: "Give smokers a break" says Forest Ireland
-
August
-
July
-
May
-
March
-
February
-
January
-
-
2018
-
December
-
November
-
October
-
September
-
August
- "A bin the butt campaign that ignores the importance of bins is a bit of a joke, to be honest."
- Vaping not a substitute for all prisoners who smoke, says Forest
- Prisons minister urged to amend prison smoking ban
- Cautious welcome for report on e-cigarettes
- Forest condemns Welsh Government plans to extend the smoking ban
-
July
-
June
-
May
-
April
-
March
-
February
- Lift ban on vaping on hospital grounds, says Forest
- Forest Ireland criticises ban on smoking at three mental health units in Cork
- Ireland: Forest attacks proposal to ban smoking in outdoor areas where food is served
- War on smoking has gone far enough, Forest tells mayor
- E-cigarettes: "You can't force smokers to switch if they don't want to"
-
January
-
-
2017
-
December
-
November
- Plain packs: Forest calls for UK policy review following "five years of failure" in Australia
- Budget 2017: Poor sacrificed on altar of public health, says Forest
- Senator wins 'nanny-in-chief' award
- NGOs and politicians to be honoured at 'Golden Nanny Awards' in Dublin
- Tobacco tax: give smokers a break, says Forest
-
October
-
July
-
June
-
May
-
April
-
March
-
January
-
-
2016
-
December
-
October
-
September
-
August
-
June
-
May
- Health minister should decline WHO award
- Forest urges Government to reject tobacco retailer licensing system
- Forest response to High Court judgement on plain packaging challenge
- Opponents of plain packaging invoke spirit of Churchill
- Tobacco Products Directive treats adults like children says Forest
-
March
- Councils urged to review funding of anti-tobacco campaign group
- Allow smoking rooms in Scotland's pubs and clubs, say campaigners
- Poll: Majority of adults in Scotland would allow smoking rooms in pubs and clubs
- Forest welcomes defeat of Public Health (Wales) Bill
- "Increasing cost of tobacco benefits no-one apart from spivs and criminals"
- Forest slams "pointless" car smoking ban
- Poll: Little support for further increases in tobacco taxation
- Increasing tobacco taxation is "economic madness"
-
February
- Jury still out on plain packaging says Forest
- Campaigners urge Chancellor to "be fair to smokers"
- Forest slams call for more cash to reduce adult smoking rate
- Axe the tobacco duty escalator, says Forest
- Forest welcomes closure of anti-smoking group
- Forest criticises call to rate movies that portray tobacco use
-
-
2015
-
December
-
October
-
September
-
August
-
July
-
June
-
May
-
March
- Smoking in cars with children: "education better than big stick"
- Leave health workers alone, says Forest
- Plain packaging process has been a "sham"
- "What next? Standardised packaging for alcohol and sugary drinks?"
- No public desire for plain packaging say campaigners
- Stop the nonsense say critics of plain packaging
-
February
-
January
- Government must resist temptation to over-regulate electronic cigarettes, says Forest
- Government urged to publish plain pack consultation report "promptly" and "without further delay"
- Forest condemns decision to bring forward plain packaging legislation
- Campaigners urge Scottish Government to reject new laws on e-cigs and tobacco
-
-
2014
-
December
-
November
-
October
-
August
-
July
-
June
-
May
-
April
-
March
-
February
-
-
2013
-
2012
-
August
-
June
-
March
-
February
-
January
-
-
2011
-
November
-
October
-
September
-
August
-
July
-
June
- Tory MP leads opposition to ban on smoking in cars
- Inner city pubs stubbed out by smoking ban
- Register now if you want to change the smoking ban
- ASH awarded WHO medal on 40th "birthday"
- Imperial warns of "nanny state"
- Don't discriminate against smokers, Forest tells NHS
- Imperial Tobacco praised for tobacco consultation response
-
May
-
March
-
Share this page
Friends of Forest
