Tasmanian Council Proposes Ultimate Solution

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 09/26/2010

A local council in Tasmania is urging the state government to impose a total ban on smoking and the sale of tobacco products, according to a story by Danny Rose for Australian Associated Press. The city council of Burnie, which is on the island state's northwest coast, on Tuesday passed a resolution unanimously supporting a "complete ban on the sale and use of tobacco products in Tasmania". And the council says that if it is not possible to impose such bans, the government should instead ban smoking inside private homes where a child or dependent person is present, plus in "any outdoor area attached to a personal living space". Anti-tobacco lobby group ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) says the council's position is unique in Australia, though it is similar to the stance taken by New Zealand's Maori party. The council's resolution noted that total bans were the "ultimate and courageous solution" and added, perhaps unnecessarily, that they were "unlikely to be popular within the smoking community or with those economically reliant upon tobacco products". The council was responding to a call for feedback in respect of a discussion paper put out by the Tasmanian government that proposes a range of reforms to curb the state's above-average smoking rates, but which does not go as far as the action sought by the council. Enditem