SPAIN'S SMOKING BAN
I have just received a further missive from Andrew Linn (Culture Spain’s wine and food critic) – as a final note on the contentious subject of the smoking ban in Spain. Certainly, the smoking ban in Spain has aroused some strong feelings with many of you commenting upon this subject.
So, I felt that it was worth Posting Andrew’s comments as they relate to the continuing story of the Marbella restaurant that has deliberately flouted Spain’s smoking ban in what appears to be a kamikaze demonstration of independence – given the huge fines that the restaurant faces.
Andrew Linn says:
The fines that may be levied on the first Spanish bar-restaurant (Asador Guadalmina) to openly flout the smoking ban in Spain are quoted in the press as amounting to 610,000 euros! This is enough, surely, to close down the business and put all its employees onto the unemployed register – at a cost to the State.
However, reports are also coming in, dail,y of other hostelries up and down the country that have joined the protest. Several bars claim they have seen business drop off so drastically since the ban that they either have to allow smoking or close down. There is no doubt that Spaniards are not taking this measure lying down, unlike Ireland and the UK, to name but two.
The thrust of the opposition to the smoking ban in Spain, even from non-smokers, is if smoking is a bad thing – then sales of cigarettes should be banned altogether, along the lines of if you want to get rid of something evil you have to cut it off at the roots. This will never happen of course but it does raise many questions relating to civil liberties and democratic rights.
The oft-quoted reason for the ban in bars relating to the harm it was doing bar workers is hard to justify since they never complained about it, and prior to the ban there is no bar or restaurant on record as having banned smoking on its own account.
What no-one, but no-one, can understand is why a choice is against the law: smoking or non-smoking establishments. Who on earth suffers if, in a row of five bars along the same street, two decide they will allow smoking? Non-smokers will go to the non-smoking bars and employees of the smoking bars would know exactly where they stood and would not be obliged to put up with smoke, if they did not want to. It seems that like many other nonsensical laws brought in by Zapatero’s misguided government, it was thought that a complete smoking ban in Spain would improve Spain’s image internationally.
The number of denuncias for smoking or allowing smoking is still almost nil – so it seems that the famous Spanish tolerance is alive and well…
Do give me your views! Does all of this reflect well on the culture of Spain or does it indicate that Spain still remains behind the culture of the rest of developed Europe? Should ‘options’ be built into laws or are blanket bans the way to rid society of something damaging?
RELEVANT INFO: smoking ban in Spain.
I feel the smoking ban in Spain is a good thing. It has made the bars and restaurants much better. It was left up to bar owners to decide previously, but they did not follow this. This is now the result of their failure to self regulate. Small bars were given a choice of allowing smoking but not allowing children entry. They wanted both, and still allowed children in. Large bars were allowed a smoking area, but they allowed smoking everywhere. It was therefore necessary under EU law to enforce the full ban. Non smokers also have a right to enter premises that should offer a safe and pleasant environment. If a minority wish to smoke then they should be able to do so without affecting others. e.g outside or at home.
Mark,
It is not about the lack of self regulation, its about the regulation itself ! We have too much regulation coming from brussels already. What is wrong if a bar owner decides to allow smoking in ‘HIS’ establishment ? If you do not smoke you can vote with your feet and leave for some lonely little no smoking bar with no people in it because they are all in the bars with the people who enjoy a cigarette with a drink, be it beer, coffee or whatever else. If you look at the cost of alcohol related diseases in europe you would have to impose a total ban on that too. Can we not just do the things we enjoy in peace ?
If 65 or 70% of the population dont like it then they do not have to suffer it. Go elsewhere !
Mark Gee, if you like non-smoking places so much, how come you didn’t open one, is it bacause you knew it would go bankrupt?
The minority you speak of is around 25% of the world, some 1.5 billion people.
I am writing on Thesis for college on banning smoking in ALL public places other than your own property of your home. Here’s enough reasons why: There are over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke and at least 69 of those chemicals are known to cause cancer. One I can say by my research that secondhand smoke is classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). The list 599 chemicals were approved by the US Government for use in the manufacture of cigarettes is something every smoker should see. This is known by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US National Toxicology Program, and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) a branch of the World Health Organization. Smoking should be banned in all public places, and should only be allowed in people’s own homes because it’s a silent killer. Not only is smoking annoying for non-smokers, but it carries many big problems with it, such as, lung cancer, breast cancer, asthma, breathing and respiratory symptoms, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), heart disease. If the government wants to really cut costs in the medical industry. Then why don’t they put their money were in counts by bringing in smoking cages that filters the air before it leaves the smoking cage.
Diana – an excellent contribution to the debate for which I am very grateful.