Banning smoking by the back door

The South African government will issue regulations this week aimed at restricting tobacco smoking outside public buildings, according to an iafrica.com story quoting a statement by Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi

Speaking at a World Health Organization meeting on non-communicable diseases, Motsoaledi said smokers gathered outside buildings in which the use of tobacco was prohibited and people entering or exiting these buildings had to walk through a “haze of smoke”.

Replying to criticism of the proposed regulations, he said, “We have not stopped in our regulation process and will not stop while people are still choosing to smoke tobacco”.