'sanctimonious bunch' - please don't be so rude. I would ban smoking completely if I had my way it's a filthy, stinking dirty dangerous habit, and Malta has recognised this.

I bet you that future statistics will show Malta has less and less smoking related deaths and I applaud them for banning this vile habit,

Trev

ill let people know on smoking ban & how its applied very soon i fly out tomorrow evening ,ill also be choking on diesel fumes & rubbish from dirty trucks buses & badly maintained cars &lorrys of all kinds,when are people going to sort this out , as more exersize is part of THE HEALTIER LIFESTYLE coverments seem to promote ,yet the still sell tabaco ,
crazy innit

Oops I think hurler is in need of calming down , perhaps some passive second hand smoking might do the trick

I agree with you Trevor, it is a vile, foul, anti-social, disgusting, obnoxious habit, I think it should be banned in all public areas including streets and shopping centres etc etc etc etc

Yours sanctimoniously
Sliema2

Thanks for your replies.I don't need to calm down at all as I'm perfectly calm to start with.I agree that it is a disgusting,smelly,dirty habit but unless the law changes it is legal and people have the choice whether to smoke or not.I agree with the ban in public places but you cannot expect all smokers to capitulate and go along with your wishes in the open air.As I said there are lots of other things causing pollutants but I dont see everybody up in arms about traffic fumes.The number of cars on the road is increasing not decreasing.We are all guilty of these things so why single out smoking? As for disgusting habits what about people who drink so much that they vomit and urinate in public.Why is that more tolerated in the streets?I applaud you for your views but please don't forget that we are supposed to live in a civilised country run by democracy.
By the way,if cigarettes were banned I dread to think of the uproar it would cause when the government raised other taxes to compensate for the loss of revenue on tobacco.

Hi Hurdler,

I don't actually disagree with what you say about the fumes etc that spew out of vehicles so you are right on that matter. I hope that we really do do something radical over this matter also, but that woukld be a scientific development and I know as a chemist there is much going on regarding this.

Urinating, and being drunk in public are illegal here and you can be arrested for doing either, but you would not be arrested for smoking in public here! That's why I want the law changed because I put smoking in similar anti social category,

Trev

I haven't smoked for over 20 years and I know what it is to go through withdrawal symptoms. I don't mind anyone having a ciggie so long as the ash doesn't blow into my food or drink. When it does, I get angry and very annoyed.

For anyone who does smoke, or lives with a smoker, wet your index finger and write on the ceiling, "Smoking doesn't harm you."

See how long it takes for that to yellow over.

There is one thing to come out of this Malta may have stopped people from smoking in pubs and restaurants witch can only be a good thing as having smoke blown over you when eating is not very nice and smokers don't seem to be bothered, I remember one year on holiday a couple asked if they could sit with us for dinner, and they then went on to light up after every course not very nice of them we hide out of the way after that.
The thing is what they should have done in Malta first is clean up the car fumes if you have ever sat outside in a pub say in Sliema you are more or less next to the road and the fumes from the old bangers and old busses are far worse than one or two poeple having a fag.

Dave

Every country has their problems Dave. Malta's biggest is their rubbish dump!

But like Ireland and the city of New York I have to take my hat off to them for having the guts to implement the no smoking laws. It upsets a hell of a lot of people.

Smokers can still smoke though! so I don't really see why they get so upset. Just walk outside the bar on a warm Sping,Summer,Autumn evening and enjoy!

Article that appeared in the times 13/04/05. which goes someway to explain why Malta has introduced a smoking ban.

"Health Minister Louis Deguara said yesterday that 37 people- 26 men and 11 women - died from smoking related diseases in January".