New Brunswick to ban smoking in cars with children or youth present..

July 16, 2008 - New Brunswick wants to join other Canadian provinces that outlawed smoking in vehicles while driving with children and youths. That list those provinces that have banned smoking in cars includes
Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Ontario. The New Brunswick government is mulling the idea, as is Prince Edward Island. Kenneth Maybee, president of the New Brunswick Lung Association, has stated that smoke in a confined space, such as a car, is 23-times more powerful than outside. Nova Scotia was the first province to ban smoking in vehicles with children, which some critics liken to child abuse. The law there, which applies to children under the age of 19, took effect April 1, 2008 and involves a fine of nearly $400. Ontario just passed its bill last month, with the support of all three parties. "This is about protection of our most vulnerable citizens - children who do not have a voice," Ontario Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best said at the time. Drivers and passengers in Ontario will be fined up to $250 if they don't butt out in cars carrying children under the age of 16. There are also calls for government to restrict tobacco marketing to children, by clamping down on new tobacco products like cigarellos and snus, a fruit-flavoured chew. Reference: MLAs want smoking banned in vehicles by Quentin Casey, Telegraph-Journal, 7/14/2008.

Surveys of smokers have found that 90% of smokers support a ban on smoking in cars when children are present. This is a no-brainer- let's get it done for the better health of every kid.