Article - The Spanish Attitude to Smoking

piglet · Community Manager Joined: Apr 02, 2005 Posts: 3434

Are you a smoker or non smoker?

Depending on your response to this question will really depend on your view of the implementation of the smoking ban in Spain and how you view this article on the
Spanish Attitude to Smoking

In 2009, the Spanish Minister for the Environment, Trinidad Jimenez, had enough. She announced the introduction of a full ban on smoking in all enclosed public spaces, including restaurants. Wanting to catch up with the rest of the EU and UK when it comes to matters of public safety, she claims that 70 per cent of the Spanish public support a total ban.

I ask myself which is worse…?

Sitting next to people who smoke throughout the meal and the flow of conversation continues uninterrupted, but I have to endure their smoke?

Or

The majority of your fellow diners make a hasty exit between every course to have a cigarette; they continue the conversation outside, while you are left alone at the table twiddling your thumbs?

We would be interested to know what are your thoughts on the smoking ban in Spain?
Piglet

Twofilas

Tobacco and alcohol would never be legalised if introduced today - having said that I believe that the freedom of choice should remain for both smokers and non-smokers.

It’s not beyond the wit of man to contrive compromise to satisfy both. Venues can be designated accordingly or individual venues can have areas that can be segregated by air conditioning/ventilation or partition, but this is not the issue; the issue is one of nanny state knowing what is best and fashionable in the interest of the ‘greater good’.

One would think that the last thing Spain needs right now is the inevitable proven economic downturn in its bars and restaurants that follows a smoking ban. Fatties watch out – you’re next – followed by those with a heavy carbon footprint.

piglet · Community Manager Joined: Apr 02, 2005 Posts: 3434

Twofilas wrote:

One would think that the last thing Spain needs right now is the inevitable proven economic downturn in its bars and restaurants that follows a smoking ban. Fatties watch out – you’re next – followed by those with a heavy carbon footprint.

Twofilas..are you a smoker or non smoker??

So is the argument really, Profit V Health ??

As for Fatties...nobody died from passively watching someone eat? Laughing

Piglet

Jamie · Expat Focus Administrator Joined: Aug 06, 2000 Posts: 2075

Out of interest, I caught this yesterday on the Beeb's website:

Smoking bans 'cut heart attacks'

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/he...267523.stm

hotpot

yes i think there should be a ban on smoking in confined public areas.
yes i smoked for 50 years and i was the first one out the door after every course to have a fag.
but i have never been one to smoke just for the sake of my next fix.
it was through smoking bans in the uk that made me cut down and just smoke at home and now that has all come to an end and my body is now smoke free.

in the uk they have just issued a report that heart attacks have dropped by about 10% since the smoking ban. so that is a good thing.

so if you can give up do it at home like sex

Jamie · Expat Focus Administrator Joined: Aug 06, 2000 Posts: 2075

hotpot wrote:

do it at home like sex

An attractive proposition for those on 40 a day Laughing

Twofilas

[quote="piglet"]

Quote::

As for Fatties...nobody died from passively watching someone eat? Laughing

Piglet

Experts have warned that the number of fatalities caused by being overweight may soon exceed those caused by smoking. A study found that up to 400000 deaths each year in the EU are directly linked to being overweight. Most countries have not yet made any systematic effort to raise public awareness about the dangers faced by fatties. This was the situation with smoking not that many years ago – wait and watch for the banning of certain food types!

As to sex, don’t get me started on AIDS. Millions have already died and there are approximately 35 million already infected. Now the prospect of having a ban on sex is a real turn on. If you think that smokers leaving the dining table for a quick ‘fix’ is inconvenient...

Countryboy

I smoke and have smoked for a number of years, I have never smoked in the house since the birth of my children, nor do I do it now that they have left home.

Since the smoking ban in the UK many smokers go outside to smoke and many bars and pubs provide a covered area for that reason, there are hundreds of pubs closing each month in the UK due to the high cost of Wine, Beers, & Sprits, and the ban on smoking. The UK government has now started a campaign in the UK to cut down on drinking almost telling Supermarkets to stop selling Wine, Beer, & Sprits at cut down prices. While the government increases the tax on all alcohol. In the present climate this will also cut down the amount of Tax revenue gained by the government gets from the sales of these items, so this tax must be made from somewhere and that is directly from you.

With the billions that the UK is in Debut, somewhere along the line we are the ones that will have to pay for it with the increase in taxes to make up the shortfall of the revenue that is lost by banning of smoking in public places.

I find that a total ban on smoking in public places in Spain would kill a lot of trade, just like it has done so in the UK. And for the reasons above the same will happen here, so what would the solution be? I do feel for the Non-Smokers who go into bars here in Spain having to put up with the locals smoking between each course of the meal, but remember that we are in there country and they have been doing this for years, so we arrive in their country and insist that they change?

Would we feel the same if the foreigners who moved to live in the UK started to dictate what we should do in our own country? I think not.

Make of this what you will.

David.

piglet · Community Manager Joined: Apr 02, 2005 Posts: 3434

Countryboy wrote:

Would we feel the same if the foreigners who moved to live in the UK started to dictate what we should do in our own country? I think not.

Make of this what you will.

David.

Trouble is David, they do....and the UK bows to ALL the Ethnic Minorities and turned its back on us. Have you heard of Positive Discrimination??

Yes, the smoking ban has affected trade in the UK, in our local village we had loads of pubs when we left 4 years ago..now there are just 2.
However, this was not just down to the smoking ban we must also factor in the knock on effects of the credit crunch as well. No work, no money no beer.

Wink

Piglet

Crazymo

I am an ex smoker living in Spain/UK 50/50. When in England, I find myself shivering outside with my friends whilst they have a smoke rather than sit in the bar alone!! It is a stupid law and should have been left to the publican. This is a smoking pub or a non-smoking pub should have been brought in first and then seen which pubs got the busiest. I agree that eating places should have no smoking at the tables. Is this really a problem in Spain, the weather is generally good enough to sit outside anyhow. I allow people to smoke in my house in UK but surprisingly would rather they didnt here in Spain but not a problem here, I have a big covered balcony