The Irish Times – by Genevieve Carbery
Legislation to ban smoking in cars where children are present will be ready in the “next number of weeks”, Minister for Health James Reilly said today.
There were “major difficulties” in preparing the legislation because of the many departments involved and a “whole host of issues” which had not been foreseen.
“One last issue” to be resolved was a “finer legal point” which the Attorney General was dealing with. “I think they are nearly there and I look forward to it very shortly.”
Dr Reilly was speaking as he attended a conference at the Royal College of Physicians ofIreland to mark the 10 year anniversary of the introduction of workplace smoking legislation in Ireland.
“Nobody has the right to harm a child,” he said. He had “no doubt” gardaí would be able to enforce the law and there would also be “peer pressure from other drivers.”
The move was not about “nanny state” but about “protecting children until they are old enough to make the decision for themselves.” He described as “obscene” a situation where a three year old was in a car with an adult smoking.
The Royal College of Physicians called for the measure to be introduced to “prevent serious health problems for the next generation”.
The college also called for all publicly funded institutions, schools and childcare facilities to become completely tobacco free.
Research shows children expose to second hand smoke in cars or the home can “suffer from tobacco related illnesses for up to 25 years later,” Dr Pat Doorley, chair of the RCPI’s tobacco policy group said.
Dr Reilly also said today that the introduction of plain cigarette packaging would happen “as soon as possible”. The Government had to make sure to have “all the legal angles covered” because the tobacco industry would “turn their full might on this country and legislation to block it”, he said. He would ensure the industry did not succeed, he said.
Dr Reilly is bringing the Health Identifiers Bill 2013 on the grounds that branded cigarette products act as an inducement to children and teenagers to take up smoking.
Dr Reilly also said he would like to see e-cigarettes being brought in on a “purely medicinal advice”. The Government would “certainly” ban them for under 18. He was “concerned” about them and said “evidence based” decisions were needed. However he said they had a role in “helping people to quit” the addiction.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/law-banning-smoking-in-cars-due-in-weeks-reilly-says-1.1736140
“Nobody has the right to harm a child.”
Gee would you please say that a little louder please. If that is true why are so many children harmed, DU, Vaccines, Toxic chemicals in clothing, food, and water, sexual abuse by the criminal cabal and governments. Why I could go on and on and you bastards are concerned with second hand smoke. I can not think of a word for this that comes close to a description. All the ones I know are too tame.
This is such BS!!!! If this nonsense were remotely true, then I and many of my peers would not be here today. When I was a boy, my parents would load us in the family station wagon, my dad would light up a huge cigar and my mom would light up a Winston 100 and down the road we went. Windows up, heat on in the winter. We did that for years and nobody got sick or died.
ya know i just wonder why the gov. has tried to get people not to smoke. When the gov. discourages anything i am suspicious. could it be that smoking protects us from something they are trying to do to us? Just saying.
I quit about 5 years ago. My wife still smokes and it reminds me of the gas chamber in Marine Corps boot camp. Making it illegal is ridiculas and will lead to more billsh1t arrests and police brutality. I think common sense should prevail, but noones holding their breath on that one either.
It is illegal here in Kansas to smoke with a child in the car.
Ya know Misty. Most law’s are unconstitutional. You can’t legislate behavior. Just another excuse to arrest someone and shoot them for the first reason they can make up.