Quebec should ease up on its anti-tobacco laws and allow students to smoke in designated zones on school property, where it's safer, say members of Sherbrooke's city council.

The council has voted unanimously to support a proposition asking Quebec to change the law and permit smoking in schoolyards.

Quebec banned smoking on all school property as part of its stringent anti-tobacco legislation. The school ban is meant to target teen smoking, and to discourage children from starting.

Since the law banning tobacco use on school property came into effect Sept. 1, city council says students have made a habit of leaving school to smoke — whether it's walking several blocks away, sneaking into neighbours' backyards, or crossing busy streets.

"While we agree with [the law's] objectives, we're worried about their security," said Serge Paquin, a city councillor.

Once they leave school property, anything can happen, said Paquin, and students become easy targets for drug dealers.

The city council's position is being backed by Sherbrooke police. Providing teens with a safe and supervised area to smoke will help rein in any problems that could arise from having teens wandering around the city during school hours, said police chief Gaétan Labbé.

The police department has fielded several complaints about roving student smokers since the new law came into effect. "I can't tell you how many complaints, but we are getting them by letter, through 911 calls," Labbé said.

The proposal to install smoking zones in schoolyards isn't to encourage smoking, it's to ensure public peace and security, Labbé added.

But the Quebec Tobacco Control Service sees it differently. Making it harder for teens to smoke is what will eventually lead them to lose interest in the habit, and that's the point of the ban, said Lise Talbot, a spokeswoman with the Tobacco Control Service.

"Softening the law is not a solution for us to reach that objective," said Talbot.

It will take some time for people to adjust to the new restrictions on smoking. Provincial health officials are making note of all the problems cropping up because of the ban, Talbot said.