German Chancellor backs smokefree legislation
22 March 2007
German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed the introduction of smokefree legislation in public places on Wednesday, amid fears that leaving individual states to decide on their own smoking policies will lead to chaos.
Ulrich Wilhelm, a spokesman for Merkel said: "I have said before that we have new and very serious medical evidence which suggests that the damage caused by smoke particles is worse than thought"
"The chancellor has on more than one occasion appealed to all those responsible in the states, but also in firms and municipalities, to do everything possible to significantly improve protection for non-smokers," he added.
Originally reported in Reuters
