LAUNCESTON smokers will have less room to breathe after an extension to the city's smoke-free boundaries was approved yesterday.
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Alderman Rob Soward's motion to increase the zone beyond the Brisbane Street Mall met unanimous support from fellow aldermen.
The new boundaries will be decided following talks with the Launceston Chamber of Commerce, CityProm and Tasmania Police.
Cancer Council senior researcher Loren Youl spoke in favour of the move stating that up to 30 per cent of all Tasmanian cancer diagnoses were smoking related.
The Cancer Council has previously called for the anti-smoking zone to be extended to outside the former Chickenfeed on Charles Street and outside Watson's Jewellers on The Avenue in Brisbane Street.
Alderman Soward said the current zone had worked to create other pockets where smokers congregated.
Last year Watson's Jewellers started a Facebook campaign to extend the boundary beyond its premises, however, the main aim was to combat alleged antisocial behaviour.
Despite backing yesterday's motion Deputy Mayor Jeremy Ball chastised the council for using cigarette consumption as a smokescreen to extinguish bad behaviour.
But Alderman Soward said smoking was now seen as antisocial behaviour.
The council's current smoke-free zones were introduced in 2011 and include the mall, the Quadrant Mall and the two bus interchange areas in St John Street.