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 News from Around the Americas | February 2005 
Smoking Curbs: The Global Picture
 The Washington Post
As Cuba becomes the latest country to bring in tough anti-smoking laws, we look at what some other countries are doing to curb the habit.
Click on the map to find out more:
Australia
Smoking was banned on Manly, one of Australia's most famous and picturesque stretches of surfing beach, in May 2004.
Other Sydney areas - including the world-famous Bondi Beach - are reported to be considering following suit.
Smoking is already banned in all airports, government offices, health clinics and workplaces in Australia. Restaurants and shopping centres in most states and territories are also smoke-free zones.
Bhutan
 The sale of tobacco products has been banned throughout the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.
It is believed to be the first country to have done this.
The move is part of the government's strategy for predominantly Buddhist Bhutan to eventually become a smoke-free nation.
Smoking was only popular with a small percentage of the Bhutanese population, correspondents say. Chewing tobacco was much more common.
Canada
Smoking levels are some of the lowest in the world, with some 21% of Canadians over the age of 15 reported smoking in 2002, according to government statistics.
Public health experts say the decline has been driven by tough anti-smoking measures adopted in recent years.
In addition to bans on smoking in workplaces and many public places, cigarette packets bear graphic images of the damage done to internal organs by smoking.
Cuba
Smoking is banned on public transport, in shops and other closed spaces from 7 February.
The authorities are seeking to curb damage to people's health and help bring about a change in public attitudes.
More than half of Cuban adults are thought to smoke, and 30% of preventable cancer deaths are said to be linked to smoking.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro - a cigar aficionado in the early days of his left-wing revolution - kicked the habit in 1986 for health reasons.
Europe
France attempted to cut smoking levels by raising the price of cigarettes by 20% in October 2003.
The move provoked a strike from furious tobacconists, many fearing being forced out of business by smokers crossing borders to buy cigarettes in neighbouring countries.
Analysts say the plan was driven by government concern that smoking levels were not declining fast enough in France, and a need to fill an $8.5bn shortfall in the country's health budget.
Despite the price hike, correspondents reported no noticeable difference in Paris' traditionally smoke-filled cafes and bars.
Ireland imposed tough anti-smoking legislation in March 2004, banning smoking in pubs, restaurants and other enclosed workplaces.
Anyone caught smoking in a prohibited location now faces a fine of up to 3,000 euros (£2,000).
Despite fears the ban would be widely flouted, BBC correspondent James Helm reported most smokers in pubs adopting a pragmatic view and popping outside to the street or beer garden for a puff between pints.
Italy imposed a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places including bars and restaurants from midnight on 10 January.
Businesses face a fine of up to 2,000 euros (£1,395) if they fail to ensure their customers do not smoke, while smokers themselves could face a 275-euro (£191) for repeatedly ignoring the new rules.
The ban has not been welcomed by all, with some bar owners and smokers saying they will ignore the ban on the grounds that cigarettes and smoking are an integral part of Italian bar and cafe culture.
The new rules allow smoking in special sealed-off areas fitted with smoke extractors; however many bar owners say fitting the automatic doors and forced ventilation systems required by law is too expensive.
Tobacconists reported a 20% fall in cigarette sales in the weeks immediately after the ban came into force.
Montenegro: The union of Montenegro and Serbia has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, with 40% lighting up regularly.
In August 2004, the Montenegrin part of the union decided to introduce a sweeping ban on smoking in public places in the hope of overturning an established culture of smoking in offices, restaurants, bars and on buses. Now under the new rules, which are due to take effect in early 2005, tobacco advertising and the portrayal of smoking on television will also be banned.
The Netherlands: A tough crackdown on smoking from 1 January 2004 saw cigarettes banned from many public places including railway stations, trains, toilets and offices. The government has warned hotels, bars and restaurants that they face further measures in 2005 unless they adopt their own controls on smoking.
Some 30% of the Netherlands' 16 million population are smokers - a higher rate than all other European Union countries except Spain, Greece and Germany. The government wants to reduce the total by 5% over the next three years.
Norway imposed a national ban on smoking in restaurants, bars and cafes from 1 June 2004.
The government says the ban is to protect staff working in these establishments from passive smoking and to "de-normalise" smoking as a social pastime.
Tobacco advertising has been prohibited in Norway for 30 years and a packet of cigarettes costs about £6.
Despite this, one in three people smoke cigarettes, and there has been a rise in tobacco-related deaths.
United Kingdom After resisting calls to ban smoking in the workplace, instead preferring a voluntary approach from employers, the government has shifted its position.
It now favours a ban for almost all enclosed public areas including offices, factories, cafes, restaurants and most pubs in England within a few years.
Scotland plans to have a comprehensive ban on smoking in public places in force by the spring of 2006.
About 30% of adults under the age of 65 smoke in the UK, according to recent research conducted by Imperial College in London. An estimated 42% of people under the age of 65 are exposed to tobacco smoke at home and 11% at work.
The issue of passive smoking has been at the centre of an intense debate between pro and anti-smoking groups, with each side contesting the validity of each other's statistics.
India
India has been tightening laws on smoking in public places in an effort to curb high levels of tobacco addiction - to little effect.
Recent laws have banned direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products and the sale of cigarettes to children. Anyone caught breaking the law will be fined 200 rupees ($4.50).
According to a 1996 survey reported by AP news agency, 112 million people smoke tobacco in India, while some 96 million use tobacco products like chewing tobacco.
However the BBC's Abishek Prabhat says a lack of money and resources has meant such anti-smoking measures have not been enforced.
Iran
Iran banned smoking in public buildings and tobacco advertising in October 2003 - but both measures have had little effect.
Smoking was banned in religious and administrative buildings, as well as hotels, restaurants, airports, cinemas and sports centres. Despite this, the ban is largely ignored and laws rarely enforced.
Statistics show smoking is on the rise among young Iranians.
Tanzania
Tanzania banned smoking in many public places in July 2003, with smoke free zones declared on public transport, as well as in schools and hospitals.
The government also banned the selling of tobacco to under 18s and advertising on radio and television and in newspapers.
Health officials said they hoped the ban would "create an environment that will help to make the society a non-smoking one".
United States
Many cities and states are considering - or already enforcing - bans on smoking.
California has some of the toughest and most extensive anti-smoking legislation anywhere in the world.
A ban on smoking inside or within one and a half metres of any public building came into force in 1993 - recently extended to six metres. Smoking is also banned in restaurants, bars and enclosed workplaces - and on beaches - throughout the state.
In New York, smoking has been banned in bars, clubs and restaurants since March 2003.
Anti-smoking laws have provoked a strong debate in the US. Some bar owners say their businesses are suffering and smokers say their rights are being infringed, while non-smokers delight in a fresher environment. |
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