Jamaica Preparing to Ban Smoking in Public Places Jamaica is set to become the latest regional country to ban smoking in public. Health Minister Fenton Ferguson told lawmakers Tuesday that smoking will be prohibited in public places beginning July 15. Ferguson says businesses will have six months to post "No Smoking" signs and all tobacco products will have to include new warnings about the health effects of lighting up. He says further details about enforcement and other aspects of smoking ban are to be announced soon. Other Caribbean spots that already have public smoking bans include the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Suriname and Grenada.