Beyonce is preparing to go on the Australian leg of her 'B' Day' tour. Or not, if anti-smoking groups have their say. Currently, the singer is at the middle of a huge controversy, after huge posters promoting the tour (which starts in April), showing her with a cigarette in hand, where put up all over the country.

The ad shows Beyonce holding a very long and old-fashioned cigarette holder, a photo that was never displayed in the US. Useless to say, health and anti-smoking groups have already initiated a campaign to have the posters pulled down and the singer's concerts nixed. They say that, through the ad, she is indirectly encouraging smoking in public, which is exactly the habit they desperately tried to reduce (through various campaigns) for the past couple of years or so.

The whole scandal reached its climax when the anti-smoking group Quit wrote a letter to the Federal Department of Health, asking for the whole tour to be canceled because it's in violation of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act. Their argument is that the poster, even if not openly pushing a certain brand, sets a negative example for young women by telling them that smoking is chic and encouraging them to smoke.

'She is so talented and she doesn't really need to do this. I'm disappointed that Beyonce has used smoking in this way. She's clearly a role model for young people, and the fact she can sell out shows means she doesn't need this ad in magazines to portray sophistication. She doesn't need this to enhance her message.', a spokesperson for Quit said.

The Queensland Cancer Fund also chimed in, by saying that a celebrity with a cigarette is the worst role model and the most probable to be taken up by young women and teenagers. 'There are other ways she can create this image without having to use tobacco products. Young women in particular are influenced by what they see in the media. So it doesn't help that they are regularly exposed to images such as celebrities smoking. With young women, image issues usually win out over health issues and it can actually be a prompt for them to start smoking.', a statement from the Fund said.

The whole topic is still up for debate. A representative for the singer responded by saying that the poster had the approval of Sony BMG and, therefore, is not violating any laws.