No smoking please

With effect from April 5 smoking will only be allowed in designated areas and will be banned to the public in enclosed premises which form part of public or private establishments.

Moreover, where there is a conflict between smokers and non-smokers, a smoker shall desist from smoking in that area.

We must campaign to make non-smokers aware about this little piece of legislation. (Frank Caruana)

We have been campaigning on this issue for years. Indeed we must keep on campaigning. Almost three years ago I quoted the following excerpt from a letter by Juda Taddeo Azzopardi, which was featured in The Times:

During our three-year stay in Malta it was a horror having to deal consistently with the insensitiveness of cigarette smokers. Everywhere we went, from the airport to almost every restaurant, we could smell the odour and see the cloud of second-hand smoke hovering all over.

Unfortunately, despite regular repetition, we still have too many arrogant and ignorant creatures who are so selfish and insensitive that it doesn't even occur to them that there are non-smokers who find it extremely distressing and upsetting. To add insult to injury, we claim to be civilised. I find it so intensely irritating when so many Maltese, supposedly civilised, people take it for granted that they can light up without even asking you whether you mind. Such bad manners are unacceptable. In civilised countries, civilised persons ask: "Do you mind if I smoke?"

This is even more irritating in workplaces, including offices particularly since in such a scenario innocent non-smokers have no other option but to indulge in "enforced" passive smoking which kills. While this does not happen in civilised countries, in Malta it does and it only shows us up for the selfish, inconsiderate and, yes, ignorant people we are. What can we do about it? Well, we can learn. However, the onus is on us non-smokers to fight for right to breathe smoke-free air.

Did you know that even half an hour of second-hand smoke exposure can cause heart damage similar to that of habitual smokers? It has transpired from tests and examinations on non-smokers who are subjected to second-hand smoke that their heart arteries showed a reduced ability to dilate, diminishing the ability of the heart to get life-giving blood. This is one of many disconcerting findings.

Other research showed that non-smokers regularly exposed to second-hand smoke suffer death or morbidity rates 30 per cent higher than that of unexposed non-smokers. Another important point is that the tobacco industry has been aware of the dangers of second-hand smoke for three decades.

From an awareness and orientation point of view, as far as this issue is concerned, we lag behind many countries where non-smokers' rights are recognised and respected. This is another scenario where we are being denied a consumer right, namely the right to a safe and clean environment.

We must do something to protect ourselves. I appeal to dedicated non-smokers who share these views to stand up and be counted. At last we are now in a situation where we might catch up with civilised countries. However, it is up to non-smokers to stand up for their rights.