Nearly 90 per cent of the respondents to the most recent caycompass.com online poll support the government’s proposal to ban smoking in all public places under a roof in the Cayman Islands.
The provisions of the draft white paper bill were revealed earlier this month when Minister of Health Anthony Eden tabled the document in the Legislative Assembly.
Of the 572 respondents to the two-week poll, 393 (68.7 per cent) said they supported the proposal fully.
‘This proposal will benefit the health of the entire community,’ said one respondent. ‘Smoking is hazardous to smokers and to non-smokers.’
‘It’s way past due,’ said someone else.
One overseas respondent noted that such proposals have worked in other places.
‘It was a big success here in Ireland. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be in The Cayman Islands.’
Another 96 people (16.8 per cent) said they supported the proposed bill, but that it went too far.
‘An exception should be made for cigar lounges if that is their prime attraction for business,’ said one person, and similar sentiments were expressed by more than 10 others.
‘The law is too extreme and infringes on the rights of a large part of our population, the smokers,’ said someone else. ‘Yes we know that smoking is bad, but so is over-eating, and over-indulging in alcohol, but we see it every day. Have restrictions been made on bars that sell liquor or food?’
Another respondent thought smoking should be allowed at outside bars, while someone else thought smoking should be allowed at all bars that do not serve food.
Twenty-three respondents (4 per cent) said they supported the proposed bill, but that it did not go far enough.
‘Paris has banned smoking entirely, so why can’t we,’ asked one person.
Only 51 respondents (8.9 per cent) said they did not support the proposed ban at all.
‘This should not be a law,’ said one person. ‘This sort of thing encourages civil disobedience. We need less government, not more.’
Nine respondents were not sure if they agreed with the proposal, but one of those people had an alternative solution.
‘Rather than a legislative ban, business owners should be forced to identify their establishment as a place where smoking is accepted, and subsequently the public can choose whether or not to enter the establishment.’
One other respondent took a jab at some of the elected officials, who smoke.
‘Now let’s see the government themselves stop smoking, thus leading by example!’
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