BMA Cymru Wales is calling on doctors across Wales to write to their members of parliament to support a ban on smoking in public places.
Last year, the National Assembly for Wales voted for such a ban. Unfortunately, the Assembly didn't have the power: Wales being reliant on the Westminster Parliament to legislate.
Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain has assured the BMA that the Public Health Bill - when it comes before Parliament - will contain a clause enabling the Assembly to pass its own secondary legislation, but the earliest that could happen would be 2007.
Welsh secretary of the BMA, Dr Richard Lewis said: "We believe that such a wait is unacceptable, and we are urging doctors working in Wales to write to their MP to support Cardiff West MP Julie Morgan's private members bill in January.
"Smoking hills. Passive smoking kills. We must do something about it now."
27% of adults in Wales smoke. According to the National Public Health Service for Wales, smoking rates vary greatly by social class with 33% of people in Wales in social class 5 smoking (most deprived) compared to 20% for social class 1 (least deprived).
(http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites/documents/368/Deprivationrevnov04.pdf).
Smoking is the country¹s biggest cause of preventable death. It causes at least 80% of all deaths from lung cancer, around 80% of all deaths from bronchitis and emphysema and around 17% of all deaths from heart disease.