By enforcing a ban on smoking in public areas, Albania joined the other 121 countries where smoking in public places and advertisements of cigarettes is forbidden. The ban aims primarily at safeguarding public health by reducing rate of second-hand smoking exposure. There are over 850,000 smokers in Albania, were the total number of inhabitants is just above 3 million, and they spend annually about 300 million euro on cigarettes, according to the Institute of Public Health in Albania.
It used to be the heaven of smokers, a country where the fumes would rise up in every public space and no one could complain on such “ludicrous” reasons as passive smoking danger or bad smell. All age ranges, from teenagers to old people, and recently independent of any gender differences, would light up enjoying the pleasures of their vice wherever, whenever. Their reality though was shattered. From last Friday’s midnight though all Albanian smokers will have to battle away their day with the humorous tyranny of no smoking signs everywhere, looking avidly for tables in the verandas of bars and clubs where their little smoking corners are unaffected.
A European law – a global tendency
The ban on public smoking is a requirement of the Association and Stabilization Agreement with the European Union. Its benefits include the protection of non-smokers form the hazards of passive inhaling of fumes, the potential reduction of the number of smokers and more realistically the reduction of the quantity of nicotine a smoker inhales daily. In the meantime a state-sponsored action will be taken to reduce the number of tobacco advertisements in public areas. The new law also stipulated ban on all such ads.
The law also imposes age-limit for purchasing cigarettes. Selling tobacco products to minors could be a subject of fines of up to $1000. Indeed smoking among young ages has always been a very important issue. Scenes where children as young as 10 years old smoking cigarettes on the streets, and especially scenes with Roma children even younger than that asking people for cigarettes have been depressingly common.
In fact smoking bans are discussed and implemented worldwide. The United States for example, has some of the toughest laws against smoking not only in public closed spaces but also within close ranges of any sort of building. These laws and regulations vary according to specific states but the general tendency is towards more regulation and less space for smokers. This is based on research that has found smoke-filled rooms contain up to 50 times the number of cancer-causing particles as nonsmoking rooms. This is a truly dire situation for restaurant and bar employees who, unlike customers, have no way around inhaling second-hand smoke.
Small business in difficulty
When the first rumors were heard about the possibility of such a regulation, people did not believe it. They brought up explanations of how the industry of bars and clubs would experience a shock. They clearly underestimated the capacity of the most established members of this industry to adapt parts of their ambiences to the new law. Most of the bars now have separated areas with open spaces dedicated to smokers and inside spaces carrying the sign that ban smoking.
Nevertheless the majority of the little coffee- houses and bars do not have the space need for a veranda or an open space. These small businesses are at the brink of collapse given that their customers will look towards new places where they can still enjoy their addiction.
Upcoming seasons
The timing of the law could not have been better. The summer season in front of us guarantees a gradual suffering for all smokers who will now be only partially affected given the possibility to smoke in outdoors spaces. The real challenge will arrive with the advent of the cold season where outdoor caf顳itting will no longer be possible. Up until then it remains to hope that bars and clubs will have adapted special rooms with all safety and isolation requirements to offer to their loyal smoking clients so that they do not freeze out in the cold.
