"Threatening hospital patients with fines when some of them may be at their most vulnerable is despicable."

Fri 25th May, 2018

Forest has criticised plans to extend the smoking ban in Wales to outdoor areas including hospital grounds, school grounds and playgrounds by summer 2019. 
 
Director Simon Clark said:

“Threatening hospital patients, visitors and staff with fines when some of them may be at their most vulnerable is despicable. 

“Smoking is a comfort to some and targeting patients for smoking in the open air discriminates against those who are infirm or less mobile.”

Criticising claims that strengthening the laws around smoking in public in Wales ‘will further protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke and de-normalise smoking for children and young people’, Clark added:

“Smoking outside poses no threat to public health, nor is there evidence that children start smoking because they witness complete strangers lighting up in public.

“We don’t advocate smoking in playgrounds or school grounds but people should be allowed to use their common sense without further interference from a government that has nothing better to do than criminalise ordinary working people.”

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