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Police Warn Public Smoking Is a Criminal Offence; Arrests Expected
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Deputy Commissioner of Police Albert Wade has issued a strong warning that anyone caught smoking in public places in Antigua and Barbuda will face arrest and prosecution as police intensify enforcement of the country’s no-smoking laws.
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Speaking in a public advisory, Wade said police are increasingly concerned about the widespread practice of people smoking in public spaces despite clear legal prohibitions.
“Under the laws of Antigua and Barbuda, it is an offense for any person to smoke in a public place,” he said, noting that the prohibition applies to cannabis, tobacco, or any other substance.
Wade also warned that responsibility extends beyond individuals who smoke in public. According to the law, owners, occupiers, or persons managing premises that qualify as public places can also commit an offense if they knowingly allow the sale, supply, or smoking of cannabis or related substances on those premises.
“Any owner, occupier or persons responsible for the management of premises that fall within the ambit of a public place who knowingly permits another person to sell, supply or smoke cannabis or cannabis-related substances on those premises also commits an offense,” he stated.
Police say individuals found in breach of the law could face fines of up to $2,000 upon summary conviction, along with possible court action.
Wade said law enforcement will soon increase visible action against offenders.
“We will be enforcing the no-smoking provisions of the law, and pretty soon you will see heightened effort in this regard,” he said.
He added that the crackdown will take effect immediately.
“Any person found smoking in a public place will be arrested and taken before the court,” Wade said.
The deputy commissioner urged residents and visitors to respect the law and cooperate with police as authorities seek to protect public health and maintain order.
“All residents and visitors are urged to comply with the law of the land,” he said, adding that police will continue efforts “to maintain public order, protect public health, and ensure safe and respectful shared spaces in the country.”
Authorities say the public’s cooperation will be essential as enforcement of the public-smoking ban is stepped up across the country.
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It was about time. Bravo..
Lets start at the west bus station and east bus station
Let’s hope this applies to all smoker and not only weed smokers
Punk u be why not arrest cigarret smokers too..its bullshit!
good news
long overdue
So Y’all Cracking Down On All Those Stinking Dirty People Y’all Have Walking Around Town Doing Nothing But Contaminating The Place.. The Country Needs Cleaning Up, Especially The Town, And All You People Care About Is Fucking With Hard Working Peoples Legal Rights!!!
People Ah Kill People Left, Right And Center But Them Biggest CONcern Is Stopping People From Smoke In Public! All Dem People Who Get Gun Dung All Over Antigua Get Gun Dung Inna Public..
Antigua Is Not A Real Place.
if you’re really adding cigarettes to the list, i would realise you are DEFINITELY going mad. i can say herb or anything heavier, but cigarettes??? Please find better things for the police to do!! Patrol the heavy crime areas, post undercovers in strategic locations, educate and inform the public better, stop the public physical confrontations and lastly REGAIN PUBLIC TRUST!!!
I will suggest a media campaign to further enlighten the population about this piece of legislation.
Restaurant owners/operators need to take special note of this.
You have my full support with this enforcement.
Bravo! This is long overdue. Ones can smoke cigarettes and marijuana at home in their own private space. The police are making a senisble choice. Not everyone wants to inhales someone else’s smoke. No rights are being taken away.
Are you telling me that this action overrides growing crimes in Antigua & Barbuda? 🇦🇬
WHAT A WASTE OF TAXPAYERS RESOURCES!
I told everyone who cared to listen, that this government is so out of touch with public opinion, that they must be sent a strong message not only at the St Phillip’s North by-election on the 16th of March, but also at the next General Election.
ABLP more than useless, dem damn ineffectual, inefficient and weak in tackling crimes.
Constituents of SPN, please send a strong message that we fed-up with the current way ABLP conduct themselves…
Smoking what, just the synthetic medical cannabis which the ABLP Government hastily legalized?
Public also means the sidewalk in front of your residence, the beaches, in the forest, on a boat deck too.
How will they address those tourist who do smoke on the beaches?
What happens to cigar and other tobacco products?
PPP – Piss Poor Planning, as usual; well, to a certain degree because the ABLP got the votes from those with their eyes wide open but can’t see the forest for the 4 trees.
This was bound to happen.
Rastaman r u get mix up, in the synthetic weed business and become fooder pan dem plantation, and once again, de #bangarang ah goh mek dem hunt r u dung all over again.
Sarry de marga Dawg, margah dawg tun rung bite U.
John Crow is roaming the town, asking, where can they find mr. Browne, as they’re chauffeured driven around!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg 🦶🏿 Garrate_Bastard
Vere Edwards
Cut the shit, this is good I saw an idiot coming out of a bus with his long joint in mouth stupidness- me bun highgrade
gone mad!!!!
Good thought! I’m 💯% in agreement with this! The persons Smooking in public have no concern for Those of us who’s allergic to smoke, who may suffer with asthma. You passing and they blowing the smoke in your face!!!! I’m glad and I pray the police will be in town especially on lower market street on Friday and Saturday evenings 🙏
I fully support that. Cause some people have no respect for other people’s space
Long overdue and hope they are really serious. The idiots who are against this do not care about their health so obviously they do not care about people’s either hence the nonsense they have posted. Most of them are living useless lives anyway
What will police do at the Canabis Festival organized by the government at the Botanical Gardens?
Will there be special exemptions for Carnival, shows and fetes?
Can you purchase marijuana in SPN on Monday march 16?
Will they be closing Hookah and Hooker Lounges?
Is Vaping illegal in public as well?
Another dumbo decision by this woefully inept administration, and I’m not even a smoker.
Text book ” swallow a gnat and strain at a camel”.
No one is fined for all the trash that’s spilled all over ST Johns, where some of the gutters and the stench that comes from them can make your stomach barl fuh mercy, but here we are picking up outdated policies to try and act like they are doing something.
What a bunch of a senile old men running this country.
Is this the best that the fool ” Sir Knighted Cutie” can come up with to fight crime in Antigua?
Bloody idiot..the same Government that certified the laws to grow up to 4 trees of cannabis, is the same idiots that turn around and are now trying to act relevant in the lives of the public.
Yep folks, I’ve said it before many times on here, these idiots have lost the damn town, and by extension the entire island.
Just clueless and tone def.
Yes folks “The dunning Kruger effect” is in full display my friends..waw.
Honestly everywhere you pass one man have a join smoking. It s just offensive and although i dont agree with anything relating to police then this must stop
what about the tourists?.
l have seen them sitting at bars having a drink and some smoking. Will they be charged or fined also?.
Well all i can say is that the new craze of smoking in public wasnt good so now there will be some reduction
this is a matter that they really need yo address apart from the increase of access to ammunition and violence. these young men smoke their weed or cigarettes and then want to hop public transportation. if you decide to speak up against that awful scent on the bus, they will start to say that when we women wear perfume, they don’t tell us anything. pure annoyance if you ask me
As a RAS, I do agree that people in Antigua take things too far when they jus wa light up a spliff jus anywhere and show no decency or discretion to people around them, but this come from people up bringing. There is a time and place for everything and as ah man/RASTA who bun herb I present myself with higher standards. If I wa bun ah spliff I will do it before I come to town or bun in my transport but if I’m going into an official establishment of course the herb can wait until I finish my business. Some people these days let the herb control dem instead of dem controlling the herb. I do find it hypocritical of the Royal Police slave catchers of Antigua is the commentary from the commissioner stating any public smoking of herb and cigarettes will result in a $2000 fine and immediate arrest, so I am sure this immediate enforcement will only apply to the dark skin people in Antigua and Barbuda. The Syrians, Mzungus (white people), Chinese, Indians and tourists who are not dark skinned will be exempt because the police will never enforce any laws against their masters who pay their salary and give them handouts. They are going to be more willing to arrest young black men and fine them $2000 smh true shame. Slavery and colonialism never ended it just changed it’s features.
Hi from a European smoker…. You maybe surprised to know that this story has hit the social media feeds over here, with quite a bit of negativity, surprisingly.
It is unclear what you mean by ‘public spaces’. However, they don’t even go to this extent in Florida, and they’re all nuts over there…
As a lot of us over here in backwards Europe still smoke (especially our filthy French cousins!), and your guidance / enforcement appears to be somewhat draconian, please don’t be offended when we don’t come visit and your tourism levels drop off….
Good luck with you Utopian vision, remember ‘resistance is futile, you will be assimilated’.
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