hen talk comes up about smoking restrictions, Shawn Simpson is reminded of comedian Denis Leary’s routine on the subject: You can only smoke in your apartment with a flashlight under a blanket.
“You know, that’s what it’s coming to now. It’s starting to become a reality,” Simpson said with a chuckle as he finished a cigarette on the sidewalk on Summer Street in Halifax.
The Bedford man was referring to a bylaw passed Thursday by Halifax regional council will ban smoking (tobacco, cannabis or anything else) on municipal property — including sidewalks and roads — unless it’s a designated smoking area. Fines will range up to $2,000.
Simpson, who said he does his best not to smoke around nonsmokers, particularly children, believes smokers are being unfairly targeted while the tobacco companies that actually produce the product and the governments that tax those products reap profits.
“I know it’s a health hazard, I smoke, I know it’s unhealthy for me to smoke. But to turn around and say, OK, we’re going to start fining you for smoking. . . . It’s hypocritical.”
Debra Johnson, who was puffing near the Summer Street entrance of the Halifax Infirmary where she works, said smoking restrictions are everywhere but not support for those who want to quit.
“They should give us all an alternative, like help (us) quit smoking instead of giving us all fines for smoking in public areas,” Johnson said. “I work in here,” gesturing toward the hospital, “I have medical, it doesn’t cover . . . the Patch to quit smoking. They don’t give us any help to quit but they don’t want us to smoke in the public. . . . It just doesn’t make sense.”
Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief public health officer, said policies that promote nonsmoking as the community and social norm are an important part of how we’ve been able to reduce smoking rates over the last 15 to 20 years.
“And if we want to continue that progress and continue to decrease smoking rates, especially youth smoking rates, we need to continue to strengthen and advance smoke-freeenvironments simply because of the impact they have on children and youth,” Strang said Friday.
In 2000, the smoking rate among 15 to 19 year olds was 30 per cent and that’s now down to about 10 per cent, Strang said, and he credits smoke-free legislation as part of the reason for that decline.
The overall smoking rate (12 and older) in Nova Scotia in 2017 was 17.7 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. Nationally (excluding territories) the 12 and older rate was 16.2 per cent.
As for smokers feeling their freedoms are being trampled by the extreme restrictions in the new Halifax bylaw, Strang said the health of all Nova Scotians, particularly youth, must be considered.
“If we truly want to decrease smoking and especially focus on protecting youth and preventing youth smoking, we need to continue to move in this area,” he said. “We had the same kind of reaction when we introduced the current Smoke Free Places Act. I certainly recognize that there are smokers who this impacts but roughly four out of Nova Scotians don’t smoke. . . . Think of the positive impact that two-thirds of a drop in youth smoking will have in improved health, decreased impact on our health system, in the years to come.”
Peter MacNeil, who was smoking on a nearby sidewalk, said he wasn’t happy that the city’s crackdown came out of nowhere without consultation.
But he acknowledged, along with Simpson, that the tougher restrictions likely will force more people to butt out.
“I’ll probably focus more on smoking in my car,” MacNeil said. “I want to quit anyways but now this just makes it easier (because) I’ll spend 20 minutes just trying to find a designated smoking area when I’d rather be inside.”
