People Ban: Spain

Winds of change in Spain.
9/30/11
Translation:
Question:
Will the Popular Party pull down the destructive anti-tobacco law?
Answer from Soraya Sa?nz de Santamar?a, Popular Party’s spokeperson
When the government planned the total smoking ban, we offered the possibility of an intermediate measure: to allow smoking in restaurants, bars or cafes that have special designated areas, anytime the health rights of the staff are saved. It’s worth the workers health protection, the right to work in a smoke-free atmosphere, but we can achieve special facilities where smokers can smoke without bothering other costumers of staff, let’s look for this balanced way, in this time of crisis, to preserve employment in hospitallity sector. Let’s look for saving everybody’s rights and wishes. I think it is possible to reach an intermediate measure for smokers to smoke inside without disturbing anyone”.
As I told you, next november 20th, elections are called in Spain for a new goverment and all the surveys says that Popular Party will win the election.
Winds of change in Spain.

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200 police reports and only two fines in the first year of the anti-tobacco law
The Health Delegation has fined two people, who have appealed the fines of 30 and 601 euros
The bar trade estimates that it has lost 30 per cent of its bar clientele

January 5, 2007
Almudena Nogu?s

In the end, it turned out to have been the mouse that roared. The figures speak for themselves: during the first year of the new anti-smoking law, only two people were fined for smoking in places where smoking is prohibited. And it takes no more than a short walk around any town or city in the province of Malaga to see for oneself that a great many smokers are satisfying their addiction to tobacco in many places where smoking is prohibited. A total of 204 reports of illegal smoking were made to the police in the same period in the province, these reports being now in different stages of processing. The only lesson we have learned so far about the anti-smoking law is that few people care about its existence in Malaga province.

The Health Delegation says that fines of 30 and 601 euros have been imposed on two people in the province, the first on a bar owner who had failed to erect the proper sign for the smoking area in his establishment and the second on a smoker who chose the wrong place to light up. Both people have appealed the fines. The Health Delegation has received no reports of people smoking in establishments of more than 100 square metres, in which the law allows – since the beginning of last September – for special areas to be sealed off for smokers.

A hundred inspectors

There are about a hundred inspectors in the province whose task it is to ensure that the new law is being complied with. They are attached to the Delegation of Health, Consumerism and Tourism in the Junta de Andaluc?a, and their primary responsibility is to ensure that establishments of more than 100 square metres have areas set aside for smokers, if they choose to allow smoking on their premises. This means expensive re-construction work, and about 90 per cent of such places have decided not to go ahead with it, so far. A total of approximately 7,500 large bars and restaurants have opted to ban smoking altogether in their establishments rather than re-structure them.

Losses

This decision has had an immediate effect on the cash registers in these establishments. The president of the Association of Hostelry Businesses in Malaga (Aehma), Rafael Prado, tells us that since the new law came into force, those bar and restaurant owners who have banned smoking completely have lost 30 per cent of their bar clientele. “This translates into a global loss of about 12 per cent in turnover each day,” he adds.

In his view, the new law has not achieved its objectives. “All it has done is to give everybody a bad headache,” he says, adding that there are not enough incentives for smokers to give up the habit.

Restructuring

Prado believes that most establishments of less than 100 square metres in floor area have decided to continue to allow smoking, while the bigger establishments have opted to ban the filthy habit rather than pay the cost of re-structuring. “Re-structuring is very expensive,” he tells us. “First the owner has to pick the right time to begin carrying out building work. Then he has to find space to do so, and finally, he has to be making enough money to pay for it all.”

Objetives achieved

Salvador O?a, an expert on advising people how to give up smoking and member of the Spanish Association against Cancer in Malaga, tells us that the National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking puts the success figure of the new law at 80 per cent. Ultimate success in the application of the law will take a long time, he warns us.

O?a also points out that the law has resulted in a reduction of tobacco consumption in the province, even if most people have not actually given up smoking altogether. The real effect of the new law can be seen in the workplace, he adds. “We have seen no noticeable change in the hostelry business,” he says, “and smoking is still socially acceptable in this part of the country. The next stage is to change people’s attitudes towards smoking and smokers.”

All in all, it seems quite clear, the new law has had little effect on our daily lives. People are smoking less than before, but have not given up the habit. It is still very easy to light up in most bars and restaurants in the province. Workers have given up smoking in the workplace, because they have no option, but when coffee-break time arrives, too many of them head off for the nearest bar for a smoke.

The figures

Fines: The Provincial Health Delegation has received 204 reports of breaches of the anti-tobacco law during its first year in force. Of these, only two have resulted in fines being imposed, amounting to 30 and 601 euros each. Appeals have been made in both cases.

Bars and restaurants: Most bars and restaurants of less than 100 square metres in size have chosen to allow smoking. Bigger establishments have generally opted to ban smoking, as a means of avoiding expensive re-structural work.

Aims: Experts say that the results of the law are 80 per cent effective.

Therapy: High demand for smoking therapy dropped after the avalanche of the first three months of the year.

Less desire to give up

A year after the introduction of the new law, demand for remedies to give up smoking has levelled off, we are told by experts in the field. “Demand for such specialised products increased by 400 per cent at the beginning of last year, and the number of treatments doubled. But now such demand has dropped considerably, and we see little interest in people giving up the habit,” says the spokesperson for the College of Pharmacists in Malaga, Leandro Mart?nez.

Salvador O?a, an expert in advising people on giving up smoking, also assures us that demand for help in giving up smoking has dropped.

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Spain Extends Coverage Of Smoking Ban

September 3, 2006
Komfie Manalo

The Spanish government has extended the coverage of the smoking ban law which now covers bars and restaurants.

The revised law, which will take effect on Thursday evening, orders establishments that sells foods and drinks, to designate a smoking and no smoking areas for their customers.

The law also requires business occupying more than 100 sq. meters to set up a separate smoking area. Smaller establishments were obliged to indicate whether they are smoke-free or not, reports say.

But some business establishments were not happy with the extension and said it would be difficult to implement the new order and that it could reduce their profits because some customers might shy away from bars and restaurants.

In January, the Spanish government has ordered a total smoking ban in public places, offices and public transport. The government has imposed a ban citing statistics which show smoking is the number killer in the country, with 50,000 smoking-related deaths annually.

Surveys show that about 30% of Spaniards smoke. Surprisingly, majority of Spaniards support the ban.

Spain extends smoking ban
5th September 2006
Spain has extended its restrictions on smoking by introducing a partial ban in restaurants and bars. Outlets selling food and drink have been obliged to set up designated smoking and no smoking zones.