Senators who lobby for smoking cessation plan to impose a new anti-smoking ban, much heavier than all the previous. This time they seek to ban smoking in cars. Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) stated today that according to data collected by their volunteers, the level of the pollution made by a single cigarette in a car has as negative consequences for health as being in a pub filled with smoke.
In the report called Beyond Smoking Kills, anti-smoking activists claim that cessation of smoking in cars can be an essential tool in reducing the exposure of children and teenagers to the toxins and chemicals inhaled by them through the smoke in a car being passive smokers.
Deborah Arnott, the president of Ash foundation, stated that second-hand smoke could cause a complicated health problem. She cited recent researches conducted by her organization indicating that by the level of pollution smoking a single cigarette in the car could be compared spending an evening in a pub before public smoking ban.
She mentioned that the consequences from smoking in such a small are as enclosed vehicle could be dangerous for health since the level of pollution from hazardous chemicals was extremely high. Action on Smoking and Health president said that they were not asking for instant ban hence, they rather called for performing a scientific investigation in order make it evident that new and stricter ban should be introduced by the government.
She added that want smokers to be given an alternative, for example when smokers were on the road and driving it would be great to see them chewing some gun instead of smoking. At this point one might think that Ms. Arnott was lobbying for some dental organizations.
Ms. Arnott declared that ASH foundation intends to show people that smoking in cars could be dangerous not only for children but for adults as well. The Beyond Smoking Kills report published by Action on Smoking and Health is directed to elaborating new measures to prevent minors from smoking and nicotine addiction and suppress tobacco publicity and marketing.
The anti-smoking activists prepared a list of recommendations among which would be a ban on shop advertisement of all tobacco and the introduction of plain packaging for cigarette packs, bidding to encourage around 5 million smokers to quit by 2015.
At the same time Simon Clark, director of pro-smoking foundation called Forest, declared that smokers were facing a "real war" and called for the Government to end this “malignant” interference. Mr Clark said that people have gone crazy with those bans and restrictions and they have forgotten that smokers had at least several rights and freedoms too since they are human beings exactly like non-smokers.
He mentioned that a car was a private space and that was legally approved and if people want to smoke in their own car that was their own choice and only their matter.
"But we don't need Government to dictate how people behave in their own private spaces. I think a lot of people are getting fed up with groups like Ash telling us how to behave," Clark added. Forest foundation president urged anti-smoking activists and lobbyists to stop pursuing smokers since it could even be illegal to light up in any place other than home.