Nova Scotia now has province-wide anti smoking legislation, after its legislature introduced a new law that focuses directly on children.
“In public places, wherever there are children and youth present, there will be no smoking,” says Health Minister Jamie Muir.
The law, An Act to Protect Young Persons and Other Persons from Tobacco Smoke, bans smoking in most public places and workplaces, including schools, malls, taxis, theatres and recreational facilities.
It will also be banned in restaurants, bars and bingo halls where youth are present, unless there is an enclosed, well-ventilated area that young people cannot enter. Anyone caught smoking in a banned area faces a fine of up to $2000.
The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2003, also makes it illegal for anyone under 19 to possess cigarettes. Although young people caught with tobacco will not be fined, police will now be able to confiscate their cigarettes. “I believe that smoking will die a very natural death,” says Muir. “This is very, very strong legislation.”
However, opposition members claim that it doesn't go far enough and that more money is needed for antismoking programs, and young people claim that they will continue to smoke, law or no law.
And business groups point out — vociferously — that the legislation will hurt small business owners who can't afford expensive renovations. They also point an accusing finger at the Halifax and Sydney casinos, provincial government cash cows that have been exempted from the legislation.
Still, Canadian Cancer Society spokesperson Steve Machat says the new law is a “viable compromise” that was reached instead of having the province impose an outright ban on smoking in public places throughout Nova Scotia.
The province has the highest proportion of smokers in the country — 30%. As well, one-quarter of Nova Scotians aged from 15 to 19 years smoke regularly. Muir estimates that tobacco kills 1650 of the province's smokers each year and costs the health care system $170 million annually. — Donalee Moulton, Halifax