The ban on smoking tobacco products in public has been effective in Poland for over three years now. One of the reasons behind it was to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke.
Even though in many regions worldwide smoking has lost in popularity, the total number of smokers has continued to grow and currently amounts to some 1 billion.
Introducing legal regulations to curb smoking in public or raising cigarette excise tax can save millions of human lives, World Health Organisation (WHO) experts argue.
Dangerous puffing
Each year, smoking- and tobacco-related diseases take a toll of ca. 6 million people, including 600,000 deaths from second-hand smoke, WHO reports. In Poland, smoking is to blame for nearly 70,000 deaths a year.
Cigarette smoke contributes to the development of many neoplasms and circulatory diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, and a terminal disease known as the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Smoking also leads to considerable expenses connected with counteracting its health effects. The consequent economic loss in Poland is estimated at several dozen billion zloty a year.
Where smoking is prohibited?
In line with the applicable Polish regulations, smoking is prohibited on public transport, in generally-accessible rest and recreation sites for children, and at municipal-transport stops and stations.
The ban also covers schools, healthcare facilities, educational establishments, and leisure, culture and sports venues. By way of special resolutions, commune councils can extend the status of tobacco-smoke-free zones to cover other public venues.
Owners of restaurants with at least two rooms for food consumption can allocate one room for smokers. However, the room needs to be closed and ventilated. Single-room establishments are subject to a complete ban on smoking.
Workplaces, hotels, social-assistance centres and retirement homes, higher-education institutions, facilities for travellers, and catering and entertainment establishments can designate special smoking rooms. The Act defines a smoking room as one whose construction is separated from other rooms and passageways, has proper marking, is to be used for tobacco smoking only, and is designed in such a manner so as not to allow the smoke to spread to other rooms.
Penalties for ban violation
Owners and administrators of the buildings and means of transport covered by the ban, are required to put on proper markings, both verbal and graphical, in clearly-visible places as a notice about the ban.
Any violation of the ban is subject to a fine of 500 zloty. And failure of the building owner or administrator to put the notice about the ban is subject to a penalty of up to 2,000 zloty.
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