Smoking outside hospitals banned

Smoking within 15 metres of a hospital building will be banned from tomorrow as a new law comes into effect.

The new rule is the latest step in the Scottish Government’s plan to create a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034.

It also supports the voluntary smoke-free hospital grounds policy introduced in 2015.

Anyone found lighting up within 15 metres of a hospital building could face a fixed penalty notice of £50, or a fine of up to £1,000 should the case end up in court. The rule applies to NHS hospital settings used for patient treatment and care, and includes a ban on smoking beneath overhanging structures.

Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “Everyone knows that smoking is bad for our health and hospital patients in particular should be protected from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

“This new law is the latest step in our bold plan to make Scotland tobacco-free by 2034.”

Meanwhile, a significant number of teens who try vaping have never smoked, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland said the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds who had tried e-cigarettes had increased from 23% in 2014 to 39% in 2019.

The 39% of adolescents who had tried e-cigarettes compares with 32% who had tried smoking. And 68% of those who had tried e-cigarettes said that they had never tried smoking.