Those breaking the law can be fined up to £100 in Wales
A NEW law came into force on St David’s Day requiring hospital grounds, schools and playgrounds in Wales to be smoke free.
This is to reduce people’s exposure to second-hand smoke and to discourage ex-smokers from restarting.
Although most schools and hospitals in Cardiff have banned smoking from their grounds, this is now enforceable by law and rulebreakers can be fined up to £100.
“I’m genuinely surprised that isn’t the case already!” said Barsha Knight, 44, from the Splott area.
The legislation will only include smoking tobacco and does not cover e-cigarettes such as vapes.
Designated smoking areas can still be provided in hospital and residential school grounds. However, this is a choice to be made by the school or hospital and only those over the age of 18 will be permitted to smoke there. The legislation will not apply to sixth-form colleges.
“We expect most people will comply with the smoke-free legislation in Wales. The smoking ban introduced in 2007 is largely self-policing with high levels of public support and public compliance. We expect this will continue with the extensions to the legislation being introduced on 1 March 2021,” states the Welsh Government on its website.
Previously only school and hospital buildings and enclosed areas were required to be smoke-free by law in Wales. However, Cardiff and Vale hospital grounds already had voluntary restrictions banning smoking on site which were enforced by the health board’s enforcement officers.
Smoke-free enforcement officer Matt Lloyd said, “The majority of smokers stop smoking when I approach them. I then remind them about our smoke-free environment policy and the new law. If somebody refuses to stop smoking, I talk to them about why we have the policy and the law. If they are a patient, I can contact their ward manager who will offer them nicotine replacement therapy to help with cravings.”
Cardiff Council had already voluntarily banned smoking in public playgrounds but from today no smoking will be legally permitted within public playground boundaries or, if there are none, within five metres of playground equipment.
Holiday accommodation and mental health units will also become smoke free within a year and 18 months respectively.
“We are immensely proud to have brought into force this law today making hospital grounds, school grounds, playgrounds and outdoor care settings for children smoke-free in Wales,” said minister for mental health and wellbeing Eluned Morgan.
“The law will not only help smokers quit, but it will also discourage others from starting smoking in the first place. We’ve seen the impact of the indoor smoking ban and we hope this will be similarly successful.”
