BMA Cymru Wales launches all Wales petition smoking in public places

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 10 Jan 2005 - 8:00 PDT

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BMA Cymru Wales is launching an all Wales petition calling on Her Majesty's Westminster Government to give powers to the National Assembly for Wales to ban smoking in public places.

The BMA has placed copies of the petition in GP surgeries and hospitals across Wales.

Welsh Secretary of the BMA, Dr Richard Lewis said: "It is imperative that Wales has the power to ban smoking in public places - if that is the wish of the Assembly, as soon as possible. Whilst waiting for the English Public Health Bill to wind its way through the Westminster processes, Welsh men and women are dying of cancer.

"We owe it to them, and to others who may develop cancer as a result of inhaling second hand smoke, to ban smoking in public places. There are men and women who are subjected to such smoke in their daily lives: bar workers, waiters and waitresses in restaurants, croupiers in clubs: they too have a human right to have a workplace free of smoke."

"If we can show London politicians that the people of Wales want the right to breathe smoke-free air, we will have succeeded," he added.

Copies of the petition are available from John Jenkins, Public Affairs Officer, BMA Cymru Wales, 5th floor, 2 Caspian Point, Caspian Way, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF9 4DQ. Telephone: 02920 474646. Email: jjenkins@bma.org.uk.

BMA Cymru Wales
Fifth floor
2 Caspian Point
Caspian Way
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF10 4DQ

Telephone: (029) 2047 4646
Fax: (029) 2047 4600
email: info.cardiff@bma.org.uk

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