*** Correction: An earlier version of this story included some inacurate statistics. We've recalculated the figures and updated them accordingly.***
Melbourne's city centre could become completely smoke-free within three years after a cigarette ban in a laneway was dubbed a success.
And Melbourne City councillor Richard Foster says the smoking ban should be expanded.
"It costs 4000 victorian lives every year," says Mr Foster. "So the more control that we can put around the effects of passive smoke the better we're all going to be for it."
Mr Foster wants to crush Melbournians smoking habits by making the CBD 100 % cigarette free.
Simon Breheny from the Institute of Public Affairs says a total smoking ban would be a step in the wrong direction.
"It moves Australia or Melbourne at least further down the path of being a nanny state," says Mr Breheny. "Smokers are one of the most marginalised groups and to go this step further and ban them from smoking down the street seems to be cruel and unnecessary."
If the plan to ban goes ahead Melbourne would be one of the first cities in the world to have a smoke free CBD.
Craig Sinclair the Acting Executive Director of Quit Victoria says the move would be difficult and a statewide ban on smoking in outdoor and dining and drinking areas would be preferable.
"Undoubtedly the six month trial in the causeway in the City of Melbourne was an outstanding success for both traders and patrons," says Mr Sinclair. "Any opportunity to extend that is something that we would welcome".
Smoking in all government buildings and on public transport is not allowed in some states. You can't smoke in playgrounds, parks, sports grounds, beaches and most child-focused venues.
No Australian state has completely banned smoking in outdoor drinking areas.
And smoking bans are not a particularly new idea. The war against smoking around the world has been ablaze since the 70's.
And Australia's on fire in terms of our efforts to help people kick the habit.
From 1973-1976 cigarette advertising on radio and TV was phased out. At the time 43 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women smoked.
In 1990 cigarette advertising in local newspapers and magazines was banned. In 1992, 29 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women smoked.
In 1996 billboards and poster advertising of ciggies were banned and in 1998 around 27 per cent of men and 25 per cent of women still smoked.
By 2006 new, graphic anti-smoking ads were launched and in 2007 indoor smoking bans were rolled out. At the time 21 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women smoked.
2009 saw several local councils move to make outdoor areas smoke-free and in 2010 smoking inside pubs and clubs was banned across Australia.
And here we are today in 2014 with Melbourne pushing for a 100% smoke free city.
There's no doubt that smoking is harmful - the evidence is rock solid.
We've hiked up the excise, restricted where people can smoke, and bombarded our citizens with quit campaigns.
Evidently none of that has deterred those addicted to the so called 'cancer stick'.
But despite the move to ban smoking in Melbourne enforcing such a ban could prove difficult.
"I think there's a big question here about enforcement and I think whatever the enforcement mechanism is it's going to be costly for the state,“ says Mr Breheny. "It's going to mean that our lives are further regulated... at the end of the day this is just something that's unenforceable."
Mr Sinclair agrees there may be issues around enforcement, however he's supportive of measures to help smokers quit their addiction.
"We have to be mindful that smoking is addictive and we have to do everything we can do to support smokers to quit," says Mr Sinclair.
But is a blanket ban across an entire city going too far?
We put that question to you on Twitter and Facebook and here are some of your responses.
