Smoking bans lead to healthier WA

On the eve of the second anniversary (July 31) of new laws banning smoking in WA restaurants and hotels, leading cardiologist and former AMA President, Dr Keith Woollard, said smoking restrictions introduced over the years had contributed to the steady decline in the death rate from heart disease.

 

"I expect this decline to accelerate  - thanks to the 2006 bans – and become even more rapid if we take the next step and ban smoking in alfresco dining areas and beer gardens," he said.

 

Dr Woollard said an important paper published last month on the first anniversary of public smoking bans in England, reported a worldwide reduction of about 20 per cent in the number of acute heart attack cases because of smoking restrictions.

 

"There have now been eight such studies published in the last four years and Cancer Research UK estimates that the smoke free laws introduced in England in July last year will prevent around 40,000 deaths over the next 10 years," he said.

 

 "The bans were associated with a quadrupling of the number of people quitting smoking".

 

Dr Woollard said WA had one of the lowest smoking rates of any country in the western world, however it risked slipping behind other states where there had been moves to ban smoking in all public places, particularly in cars carrying children.

 

"Kids in cars can be exposed to an extremely toxic concentration of second hand tobacco smoke; for them it's like being trapped in a mobile gas chamber," said Dr Woollard.   

 

He said latest research figures provided a wake up call to the State Government to move forward and extend smoking bans in WA.

 

 "Such moves are essential to protect the innocent non-smoking patrons and passengers, but it is a win-win situation because it encourages many smokers to quit and save their own lives."

 

AMA (WA) President Prof Geoff Dobb said it was hard to believe that just two years ago hundreds of thousands of West Australians had to suffer the consequences of second hand smoke every time they visited  a restaurant, hotel or night club.

 

"Thanks to new laws brought in by Health Minister Jim McGinty things changed and a whole new dining-out environment emerged overnight," he said.

 

"Unfortunately it's still unhealthy to dine in most outdoor cafes, particularly in Northbridge, and we continue to allow children to be exposed to cigarette smoke in cars."

 

Prof Dobb said the community was ready for greater controls on smoking in public places and were grateful for the restrictions already implemented.

 

"Last May the AMA joined other leading WA health groups in calling on the State Government and local councils to extend smoking bans," he said.

 

"Some councils are already taking action by introducing local bans, but it requires further leadership from the State Government so we don't end up with different rules in different districts."