There are likely to be further smoking restrictions in addition to the workplace smoking ban imposed in the Republic over time, a senior doctor at New York State's Department of Health predicted yesterday. Eithne Donnellan reports.
Dr Ursula Bauer, who is director of the Department's Tobacco Control Programme, said some jurisdictions of New York State had already banned smoking in parks and at beaches and within feet of the entrance to certain buildings and she believes other regions and other countries will in the long-term follow suit.
She described the planned implementation of a ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants and other workplaces in the Republic as a monumental step forward and she urged the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, to be strong in the face of opposition including threatened legal challenges.
Dr Bauer said there had been two lawsuits filed against a similar smoking ban introduced in New York State in July, one by the state's Bar Owners' Association and one by a citizens group. "I certainly do not expect to lose against these lawsuits. I'm confident our law is constitutional," Dr Bauer said.
In Dublin for a round of meetings with health officials on the smoking ban, she said the fact that legal challenges were taking place in New York and were being threatened here was all part of healthy democracy.
There was no need for alarm, she added, if all pubs did not comply with the ban immediately. "There will be bumps in the road. Not every bar or restaurant will be 100 per cent compliant the day after the law comes into effect. It's going to take time to bring everybody into compliance and that is OK because this is a change in the way people think and a major change in behaviour," she said.
Compliance with the law in New York State had to date been very good, she said. "Most people comply with the law. That is how society works. And our law requires that signage be posted alerting people that smoking is not allowed. Most people would not light up in front of a 'no smoking' sign. We have also removed ashtrays," she said.
Herbal cigarettes are not covered in the New York State legislation prohibiting smoking in the workplace. However, she did not see them becoming an issue as they contained no nicotine and therefore smokers would not use them, she said.