SUBMISSION FROM WILLIAM AND MURIEL BARLOW
With regard to the above-mentioned Bill we would like to respond in support of it. There is significant evidence from the Health Services to prove the dangers of passive smoking and smoking. To have half a restaurant supposedly a "non-smoking area" when there are no partitions is an absolute nonsense and basically the proprietor is paying only lip-service to public demands. Many people, in fact often the majority of people, would prefer that a public place, especially where food is to be consumed, should be smoke-free.
On a personal basis, I have home-tutored a ten-year old child, suffering from Leukaemia and although I am glad to report today that he is alive, he was "sent to Hell and back" with the horrendous treatment he had to endure as a primary schoolchild. In his case he was certainly a product of his environment and we feel that a lot more publicity should be given to the facts and statistics to see if people can change habits of a lifetime.
My aunt suffered and died, no doubt, as a result of passive smoking. My uncle gave up , instantaneously sixty cigarettes a day, when he developed mouth cancer and he is still alive over thirty years later.
At present we are visiting a very dear friend in the Beatson Oncology ward at the Western who is suffering from cancer and has just started his chemotherapy treatment this weekend. Cancer is so prevalent in Scotland that perhaps we are accepting it all too easily, instead of making a firm attempt to combat it .
We believe that The Prohibition of Smoking in Regulated Areas (Scotland) Bill would certainly be a positive step in the right direction. We are aware it takes generations to educate people but we MUST take measures NOW to remedy our present standards.
Obviously this Bill would involve expense for hoteliers, proprietors etc. but through time we are sure more customers will be encouraged to use their facilities. Our young people/ students who work in low-paid catering and bar work will also benefit from this Bill, as often they work long hours within these establishments and will therefore not be putting their own health in jeopardy.
