POLL: Should smoking on Irish beaches be banned?

The Government in Spain has introduced a bill this week that will see smoking and vaping banned from outdoor spaces including beaches, bars and restaurant terraces, bus stops, and stadiums.

The country's Health Minister has argued that "everyone has a right to breathe clean air".

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Speaking about the issue on Newstalk this week, spokesperson for the Irish Heart Foundation, Chris Macey, has agreed with Spain's Health Minister saying Ireland should "absolutely" do the same thing.

Making his point, Mr Macey said that a smoker inhales about 15% of the cigarette with the rest going into the air, being inhaled by people around it.

"We're talking about cigarette smoke that contains 4,000 chemical elements of rocket fuel," said Mr Macey.

"I've had that situation myself, as I'm sure many people listening would.

"It's really down to the concentration of the exposure that you've got; if there's two people in an outdoor restaurant, one at either end of it, maybe that wouldn't have any effect at all. But if you're sitting near people where maybe several people start smoking, then you are going to be impacted.

Ireland introduced a major smoking ban on indoor spaces 21 years ago (2004), a move Mr Macey said was highly successful.

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"In one year after the workplace smoking ban, ischemic heart disease came down by 26%, stroke by 32%."

Listeners took to social media to voice their opinions on such a ban with comments such as "No, this is dumb. Nanny state going way too far here.", and "Ban on taking away our civil rights and trying to turn us into a complete nanny state. Grow up!."

So do you think banning smoking in outdoor areas is the way forward or do you feel like it would be an infringement on your civil rights? Vote in our poll above.