The Tasmanian State Parliament has banned smoking in outdoor dining areas, at sporting events, bus shelters and playgrounds. The Upper House on Thursday gave the final approval needed to ensure the bans comes into effect next March. During debate the Leader of Government Business in the Upper House, Doug Parkinson, said it will denormalise smoking.
“Denormalising tobacco is crucial to protecting the children of today,” he said.
“Reducing the incidences in which children are exposed to tobacco and smoking helps to denormalise it to children so they are less likely to view smoking as socially acceptable behaviour, less likely to start smoking and, as a consequence, less likely to suffer the harms of smoking.”
The sale of tobacco will not be permitted at public events and specialist tobacconists will no longer be able to permanently display tobacco.
It means cigarette packets and cartons, cigars and loose tobacco will not be displayed in any retail stores across the state.
