Smoke-free Scotland?

An MSP will this week seek to introduce legislation which would ban smoking in bars, cafes and restaurants.

In a move which would effectively declare much of Scotland smoke-free, the SNP's Stewart Maxwell will pledge to push smoking out of public places.

"The prohibition of smoking as proposed in my bill will be enclosed public spaces where food is supplied and consumed. It is about food. We think it is entirely reasonable that restaurants and cafes should be a smoke free environment both for the customers and for the staff," he told ePolitix.com

Maxwell predicts that pubs would soon follow suit once the legislation was introduced. "I think that will come. Whether it be in a year or two, or a little more than that," he said.

"I am absolutely convinced that we will see smoke free pubs in Scotland – and smoke-free everywhere. All workplaces and public places will be smoke-free."

The West of Scotland MSP claims the medical community and the public now back a crackdown on smoking in public places.

"The evidence is overwhelming and quite horrific," he said. "We are coming from a very low base, where smoking was the norm, as part of culture. That has already changed and I think it will change ever faster."

"People, both smokers and non-smokers, are fully behind prohibition of smoking where food is concerned. That is the first thing we should tackle because people are behind that measure."

Maxwell also rejected the UK government’s approach of allowing people to choose between smoking and non-smoking establishments.

"We don’t do that elsewhere. We don’t have the smoking half of the plane and the non-smoking half of the plane. We have moved beyond that attitude."

"If you want to smoke then that’s fine. But no-one has an absolute right to do anything."

"If people want to smoke that's up to them. But they don't have a right to affect other people's health, that is the central issue."