No smoking in your own home, councils to tell tenants

COUNCIL tenants face being banned from smoking in their homes as part of a drive to create a ‘tobacco-free’ Scotland.

The Scottish Government said it will work with local authorities to introduce ‘no smoking’ clauses in social housing tenancy agreements.

It will mean some people who live in council houses or those owned by housing associations could be prohibited from lighting up in their own homes.

The proposal is part of an action plan aimed at making Scotland ‘tobaccofree’, with other measures including stamping cigarettes with health warnings or reducing nicotine levels.

Ministers also said they would ‘explore with councils and housing associations the idea of tobacco-free clauses in tenancy agreements’.

The Raising Scotland’s Tobacco-free Generation document also proposes a campaign to encourage people not to smoke in stairwells of communal flats, which are exempt from the smoking ban.

It is considering moves to raise the price of tobacco on top of the current tax and excise duty set by the UK Government.

In addition, smoking will be banned in prisons, although e-cigarettes will still be allowed.

It will also become an offence to smoke within 50ft of hospital buildings.

A recent poll for smokers’ group Forest found that 86 per cent of adults north of the Border would allow smoking in people’s homes.

Director Simon Clark said: ‘The Scottish political establishment is clearly out of step with the public, who support fair and reasonable restrictions on where people can smoke, not prohibition.

‘Dictating whether people can smoke in their own homes goes beyond fair and reasonable.

‘The Scottish Government should abandon this constant war on one million adult smokers.’

Cigarette packs are already printed with health warnings and graphic images displaying the damage smoking can cause.

But the report states: ‘Legislation could be made to make cigarettes less attractive. This could be done through changes to colour, composition or warning messages on each cigarette.’

The Scottish Government wants children born since 2013 to be ‘tobacco-free’.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: ‘We all want to give our children the best possible start in life, and to protect them from harm as they grow up.

‘Five years ago we set an ambitious target to create a tobaccofree generation by 2034. We’ve made good progress – halving the number of children exposed to second hand smoke, introducing plain packaging and cracking down on cigarette sales to under18s. Now it’s time to set out our next steps.

‘The action plan demonstrates our commitment to new public health priorities which include an ambition for a Scotland free from the harms caused by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.’

Sheila Duffy, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health Scotland, said: ‘I’m delighted that the Scottish Government has renewed its commitment to a tobacco-free generation by 2034.’

‘Constant war on adult smokers’ ‘A tobacco-free generation’