New Study Shows Big Parties Dudded NSW on Smoking

 

“Smokers in NSW have been dudded by the big parties combining to allow ‘Smoking Verandahs’ to be built in pubs and clubs in NSW”, said NSW Democrats MLC, Dr Arthur Chesterfield-Evans.

 New evidence from Norway on the effects of smoking shows that cutting down on smoking may have little health benefit for heavy smokers.  The study, (published in Tobacco Control 2005:15;472-480) shows that heavy smokers who cut down even more than 50% do not reduce their mortality from smoking-caused diseases. It is proven that smokers who quit, even late in life do get a benefit.

 In NSW the government and the opposition combined to defeat my bill, which would have removed the exemption from the indoor smoking ban.  This allows smoking areas to be built as ‘smoking verandahs’ or ‘smoking pergolas’ in pubs ands clubs. It has been reported that $450 million is being spent on NSW on such structures, which will perpetuate smoking in NSW for years to come and give smokers a place where they can continue to smoke.  This will mean that rather than quit, heavy smokers will reduce smoking, but still probably the same mortality that they would have had before.  They are being helped to quit by the bans elsewhere, but the  government’s cowardly approach to pub smoking has condemned many people to death from smoking-caused-illness. 

“It is possible that he tobacco industry is putting up some of this money to allow the pubs and clubs to provide these smoking Meccas”, said Dr Chesterfield-Evans.

“It is sad that the Australian Hotels Association and Clubs NSW continue to show such indifference to public health and that their lobbying has resulted in this situation.  If they had the courage to accept smoking bans all together, there would be a period of adjustment and the whole of society would be healthier. As it is they have taken short-term profits for years and smokers will continue to die for their venality and government cowardice”, concluded Dr Chesterfield-Evans.

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