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Scottish smokers face fines for lighting up outside hospitals

06/09/2022

Scottish smokers face fines for lighting up outside hospitals

Smoking outside hospitals is now banned in Scotland, with individuals who break the rules liable to hefty fines, under the new rules.


From Monday 5 September, anyone found smoking within 15 feet of a hospital in Scotland could be fined up to £1,000. The new regulations are the latest part of the Scottish Government's overall efforts to create a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034.


Sheila Duffy from independent Scottish charity Ash Scotland hopes the new legislation will prevent tobacco smoke being drawn in through windows, doorways and vents.


She told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "It has effects on the blood, it has effects on the lungs and it interferes with people getting well, which is what they are in there to do.


"There are newborns and people who are ill in hospitals and this measure is about creating cleaner air for their stay and making sure that they get out as healthy as possible.


"This is a toxic substance. It is preventable and is not a welcome addition to the indoor air in hospitals.”


Hospital authorities in Scotland - those who are already responsible for enforcing indoor smoke-free legislation - will implement the new rules.


*Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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