Greece bans smoking in public places from July 1st, 2009

smoking ban Greeks, who are among the heaviest smokers in the world, will be obliged to curb their smoking habits and desires from July 1st 2009, as smoking will be prohibited in all public places in Greece.

The law was supposed to come into force on January 1st 2010, but its implementation was speeded up in order to "ease" the population into these measures, since during summer most Greeks prefer sitting in open air spaces, cafés and bars.

From July 1st 2009 Greeks and tourists will be able to smoke in specific sealed-off areas inside restaurants, clubs and bars that are over 70 square metres.

The suggestion for these sealed off areas within the public places was made by the introducer of the anti-smoking law, Polykarpos Adamidis.

Based on these suggestions, the interior smoking areas will be isolated from the rest of the smoke-free venue, featuring a different entrance or any other specifications according to particular architectural studies.

These smoking areas should be less than 40% of the overall surface area of each bar or restaurant. According to the same suggestion, the overall surface area of the public place will be measured based on the actual customer area, without taking under consideration the kitchen area, storage rooms or any other supporting facilities.

Owners of bars and restaurants smaller than 70sq meters will have to declare by the end of June, whether their venue will be exclusively smoking or non-smoking.

No exceptions in the smoking ban in Greece

Both Minister of Health, Dimitris Avramopoulos, and P. Adamidis denoted that the new laws will be enforced without any exceptions or loopholes. Greeks are heavy smokers and tend to ignore laws that they don’t like, although this time the government and the officials indicate that they are ready to enforce the law under any cost.

It is not the first time that Greece sees anti-smoking laws; a few years ago anti smoking laws passed, prohibiting smoking in hospitals and other areas of public health. Although the smoking ban will be implemented now, the law will be tested mostly in fall and winter, when Greeks will return indoors.

Greeks approve the anti - smoking measures

According to the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine as well as several researches and polls that took place in Greece, six out of ten smokers think that the ban is indeed positive and should be enforced, while approximately 95% of the non smokers consider the measures positive. 72% of the population thinks that measures and fees should be stricter, allowing the law to be imposed more effectively.

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Comments:

"Ban" by: Generalsn posted at 01:15 pm on 2009-06-30
These smoking bans will probably go down in history as one of the greatest marketing scams ever by using tax exempt political action committees calling themselves "charities". They want to "hurry up and pass the bans" before people find out who is paying the lobbyists pushing for them by using our tax money. Here's the beginning of the ban movement in the USA. www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?ia=143&id=14912 Here are the instructions from Johnson and Johnsons' (makers of cessation products) RWJ Foundation for their tax exempt political action committees. They are getting enough money from the RWJ Foundation, plus using MY tax money. They aren't getting any more money from me. www.no-smoke.org/pdf/CIA_Fundamentals.pdf
"BEAT THE BAN!!!!" by: Dan Ackerman posted at 06:15 pm on 2009-06-30
If everyone is tired of being hastled for smoking and tired of having the government tell you where you can smoke, simply switch to the alternative! You will be happy you did!!! www.Crown7.com
"BAN TOBACCO & ACTORS SMOKING" by: Stuart Holmes posted at 07:26 pm on 2009-07-01
The following argument was put to the UKs top criminal judge in order to protect children from being enticed into tobacco addiction via actors smoking: For the full transcript go to www.ActorsSmokingFilmsTV.blogspot.com T JUDICIAL REVIEW PROCEEDINGS: High Court (Royal Courts of Justice. The Strand London) CO/8239/2006 THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL (DEFENDANT) 1 February 2007 SIR IGOR JUDGE: Mr Holmes, good morning. Thank you for coming. We have read your papers and we now would like to invite you to address us. 2. THE APPLICANT: In terms of weight of harm, this is probably the most important case that has ever been brought to these courts. It concerns the premeditated killing of one billion people this century via tobacco addiction, and the intentional enticement of children into that addiction. The root cause of this holocaust is political corruption, corporate crime and the enticement of children into addiction via tobacco advertising and promotion. 3. Actors smoking in films are the most potent form of promoting cigarette addiction, according to the 72 scientific papers in the bundle, tab 3 page 76 -- that is the thick one. Also on page 67 there is a list of 165 press articles regarding the same. One billion tobacco deaths this century -- that is one thousand million deaths -- is forecast by the World Health Organisation. That figure is so large it works out to be more than 15 times the total War dead of the entire 20th Century, excluding genocide, or one-sixth of the world's population. It works out to be approximately one death and one new recruit every three seconds, this holocaust being due to a consumer product sold in children's sweet shops. 4. As stated in the judgments of the European Court of Justice on 12th December 2006, six weeks ago or so, from Directive 89/552/EC and Article 10 of the European Court of Human Rights: "(1) Article 13. All forms of television advertising for cigarette and other tobacco products shall be prohibited, including indirect advertising. (2) Surreptitious tobacco advertising is banned on television. (3) Tobacco sponsorship is banned on television. (4) Tobacco product placement is banned on television." 5. Also Article 10(2) of European Charter of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and (impart) information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article should not prevent the State from requiring the licensing of broadcasting television or cinema enterprises. Part 2. The exercise of these freedoms, since is carries with it duties and responsibilities." p.43 6. -- I have edited this down, your Honour -- "may be subject to such restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety or for the protection of health." Stuart Holmes. www.ActorsSmokingFilmsTV.blogspot.com
"Where is enforcement of this law?" by: Yanni posted at 03:15 pm on 2009-11-05
Has anyone actually been fined yet? Here on Crete the law has been partly successful in chain stores and government offices but there is now considerable slippage as small businesses have worked out that NO-ONE IS COMING to fine them. And no-one is implementing physically separate smoking areas. I mean, WTF? And why are some bus drivers still smoking? That was illegal beforee the new ban. What is wrong with this country?