The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh wants to ban smoking AND vaping outside hospital buildings.
Today’s Scottish Daily Mail (print edition) reports that the RCPE wants smoking banned in order to ‘protect patients, staff and visitors from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke’.
As for vaping, Professor Derek Bell, President of the RCPE, said:
“The College believes that e-cigarettes should be included in any legislation relating to a smoking ban outside hospital buildings and on hospital grounds. There is strong precedent for including e-cigarettes, as many organisations, including health boards, local authorities and chains of cafes and pubs have introduced their own policies banning vaping on their premises.”
I’m not sure why the RCPE chose yesterday to issue a press release on the subject because the Scottish Government consultation on smoking outside hospital buildings closed four weeks ago, but I guess they just want to keep up the pressure on ministers to implement the ban.
Forest seems to be the only organisation actively opposing hospital smoking bans (a fact I’m quite proud of, although I know it raises a few eyebrows) but I’m surprised how quiet vaping advocates are on the use of e-cigarettes outside hospitals.
Anyway, this is our full response to the RCPE press release. The Mail used the first two paragraphs, understandably omitting my additional comment about vaping because the whole thing was quite long:
“It’s one thing to ask people not to smoke outside hospital entrances, but making it an offence and threatening patients, visitors and staff with fines and other penalties is unacceptable.
“Hospitals can be stressful places. Banning smoking outside, where there is no risk to non-smokers, shows an appalling lack of empathy for people who may be at a low ebb and in need of a comforting cigarette.
“Banning vaping on hospital grounds is particularly stupid because most vapers are using e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking.
“If this is a health issue, why would you ban the use of a product that leading bodies like Public Health England say is 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes?
“If doctors want smokers to quit they should encourage the use of e-cigarettes, not ban it.”
Meanwhile, Rachael Hamilton MSP will tomorrow introduce a motion to the Scottish Parliament to ban smoking from play parks and outdoor sports facilities in Scotland.
They never stop, do they?