Smoking ban has unsightly and harsh side effects

Spare a thought for hospital patients whose smoking habit makes them outlaws and litterbugs, through no fault of their own.

Few people in the thrall of tobacco are easily able to give it up, even those with serious health issues.

Expecting them to quit because they’re confined to a hospital is not only unrealistic but seems cruel.

But as of Jan. 1, the province has deemed that “the grounds of hospitals and psychiatric facilities must be completely smoke free,” knowing full well that the rule will force patients to run afoul of it.

The provision in the SmokeFree Ontario Act was unknown to us until we got a note from Heather O’Meara, who walks her dog near the Bridgepoint Active Healthcare hospital, saying the area around it is littered with cigarette butts.

“Staff, patients and visitors who smoke tend to congregate at the edges of the property, and they often drop butts (as well as vaping cartridges) on the ground because there are no receptacles for them,” she said.

“Obviously this is unsightly, but my dog has a bad habit of occasionally scarfing cigarette butts off the ground before I can stop her. These are toxic and can make dogs sick.”

O’Meara said she spoke to a Bridgepoint administrator, but was told the city advised the hospital “that they were not to install receptacles because they didn’t want smokers to be “encouraged” or “enabled.” Status: Sally Szuster, a spokesperson for the Sinai Health System, which includes Bridgepoint, said the new provision in the Smoke-Free Ontario Act prevents the hospital from providing a smoking area for patients or visitors. “It’s a legislative decision,” said Szuster. “We recognize the issue and the dif- ficulty, but it is the law.”

We don’t smoke, but it seems like it punishes people who are already in a bad situation (Bridgepoint is a rehabilitation and complex care facility) and need the comfort of their habit.

Let us know if you think the rule is fair, or if patients deserve a break.