Northern Ireland ministers were under pressure tonight to follow the example of the Scottish Executive and announce a ban on smoking in public places.
The Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF) urged Secretary of State Mr Paul Murphy and Health Minister Ms Angela Smith to "act decisively".
The charity said ending smoking in workplaces and enclosed public places would be "the single most effective action" the authorities could do to protect non-smokers and encourage more smokers to quit.
Mr Gerry McElwee, head of cancer prevention at the UCF, said: "Smoking is the largest single cause of preventable death and ill health in our society today, killing 2,800 people in Northern Ireland every year."
He said the decision taken in Edinburgh put Scotland at the head of a growing international movement to control the damage tobacco did to health.
It was now time for Northern Ireland ministers to show the same determination as their Scottish colleagues, the charity said.
Sinn Féin's health spokesman, Upper Bann Assembly member Mr John O'Dowd also welcomed the Scottish decision to follow the Republic.
He said: "This move from the Scottish parliament adds even greater pressure on direct rule Health Minister Angela Smith to get her act together."
Ms Smith had the ability to publish a consultation document now and so begin laying the groundwork for the introduction of smoking legislation, he said.
The medical evidence could not be ignored, he said, adding: "Angela Smith is running out of excuses."