Bold proposal to ban smoking and vaping around Melbourne transport hubs

Smoking and vaping outside of key transport hubs and council building could be banned in Melbourne under a massive extension of the city's smoke-free zones.

Dr Sarah White, director of QUIT, told Today Extra keeping vaping and smoking out of public areas would "avoid people breathing in second-hand smoke and show children it's not something to aspire to".

"I think a lot of people don't like to walk through that second-hand smoke and we know that both second-hand smoke can trigger asthma attacks and those who are pregnant or going through chemotherapy, the smoke can trigger nausea attacks as well," Dr White said.

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With Perth already extending smoke-free areas across the city, White said it would be good to see those extensions across all major cities too, particularly with the rise in children picking up the habit.

"We certainly need parents and teachers to be talking about the impact of being addicted to nicotine and inhaling deep into their lungs but we need state and territory governments to crack down on retailers who are doing the wrong thing and selling the devices to the kids," she said.

"We need to stop them coming across the borders too."

Watch the full segment above

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