The state is to aid would-be quitters by handing out coupons for the purchase of Nicotine patches and chewing gum.

Helplines which advise smokers on how to give up have seen business boom.

” I would say the number of calls we get has doubled. Around 500 calls come in per day – 300
asking for help in how to beat the addiction and around 200 for information concerning the new law. Most people appear to be coming to terms with the new reality,” said a spokesperson for the helpline.

A key question is whether the authorities will enforce the ban.

In 1991 France introduced a reform ordering restaurants and bars to set up smoking and non-smoking areas and this is widely ignored.

A series of fines will act as the stick with individual puffers facing a 68 euro fine. Those in charge of the business or building will be slapped with a 135 euro fine going up to 750 euros for repeat offences.

“Smoking ban chaos,” the Bild am Sonntag newspaper declared in a headline on Sunday and said there was discord between the states over smoking limits.

“Bavaria announces tough new rules but other states are banking on voluntary measures.”

Efforts to introduce a nationwide smoking ban collapsed last week as Germany’s justice and home affairs ministries questioned the constitutional basis for a ban in restaurants and schools, which would have brought Germany in line with the EU.

The decision followed six months of debate in the left-right grand coalition and was a blow for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Instead, the country’s federal states will be responsible for their own rules on smoking, a habit which over a third of German adults continue to indulge despite the health risks.

Merkel will now attempt to get the states to agree to uniform regulations at a meeting on Wednesday, but opinions on a smoking ban in public places vary.

“After what happened in Berlin we will of course act in Bavaria in the interests of health,” Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber told the Bild am Sonntag. “That means there will be smoking bans in all public buildings and restaurants.”

Smokers visiting Munich, Bavaria’s capital, for the famous Oktoberfest would be spared, however. “There will be exceptions, such as the beer tent for example,” Stoiber said.

The states of Lower Saxony, Thuringia and Saarland are banking on voluntary solutions to the problem, wary of creating the impression of a “nanny” state. Smoking is a cherished sign of tolerance in Germany after a tobacco clampdown by the Nazis.

“The state should not get involved in every aspect of life and should not create bans where people should be taking responsibility for what they do in their free time,” said Christian Wulff, conservative premier of Lower Saxony.

Anti-smoking campaigners said the government had buckled under tobacco industry pressure by ditching a nationwide ban.

“The route chosen by the government is not suited to the uniform protection of non-smokers,” Social Democrat politician Carola Reimann told the Berliner Zeitung. Italy, France, Ireland and Britain have introduced or agreed to introduce restrictions.

Close to 140,000 Germans die each year from tobacco-related illnesses, but the government has little financial incentive to crack down as it collects billions of euros in tobacco taxes.

Source: Stuff.co.nz

In addition, 66 per cent of respondents are in favour of a smoking ban in cafes, bars and brasseries, and 61 per cent support it in discotheques and night clubs.

Last month, health minister Xavier Bertrand announced his plan to ban smoking in workplaces and restaurants, while allowing people to consume tobacco in casinos, night clubs and certain bars. In France, every bar and restaurant has been ordered to provide a non-smoking area since 1991. This year, smoking was forbidden in all French rail service trains.

Spain and Italy have introduced smoking bans over the past two years. In April, French president Jacques Chirac said his government would look into a prohibition, declaring, “These addictions are major cancer causes. They are diseases and should be treated as such.”

A parliamentary commission tasked with looking into the possibility of enacting a smoking ban in France has not decided whether the issue should be settled by law or through a government decree.

Source: Angus Reid

Dr Laurence Gruer, who is director of public health for NHS Scotland, has proposed the move along with other medical practitioners.

Health minister Andy Kerr described the plan as “an important step forward” in preventing youngsters from lighting up.

Qualified backing has been given from smokers’ lobby group Forest which says smoking “is for adults”.

Changes to the legal smoking age will appear in the Smoking Prevention Group’s final report, which is expected to be sent to Mr Kerr very soon.

Smoking in public places was banned in Scotland in March this year.

Mr Kerr said on Sunday: “I believe, like the smoking ban, raising the age of purchase would be an important step forward, and I’d be very surprised if the group does not recommend raising the age requirement to 18.

“Let’s be clear – we must get a strong message across to young Scots about the dangers of smoking.

“We want to deter people who’re just entering adulthood from taking up a habit which causes huge health problems and leads to thousands of deaths each year.

About 6% of 13-year-olds and 19% of 15-year-olds smoke regularly. More teenage girls than boys take up the habit – 24% compared with 14%.

Forest, which vigorously opposed the ban on lighting up in public places, does not object to the legal age for smoking being changed.

Spokesman Neil Rafferty said: “We’ve no problem with raising the age, it makes sense, as we believe smoking is absolutely for adults.

Source: BBC News

That was the verdict of EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, who was yesterday in Nicosia’s Eleftheria Square as part of the EU’s anti-smoking campaign, HELP – For a Life Without Tobacco.

“More worrying is the fact that smoking is still part of the culture here on the island and is considered normal,” he said.

“We must educate young people that smoking is neither cool nor clever.”

Kyprianou had his breath tested for carbon monoxide (CO) as part of the ongoing campaign. It is now entering its second phase, following a successful period since launching in March last year. As well as continuing TV, radio, web and cinema advertising across member states, the campaign will also involve more than 100 national events for Europeans to be tested for carbon monoxide in an awareness-raising drive. It is expected that more than 50,000 tests will take place until November.

High levels of carbon monoxide can contribute to serious heart problems, blood clots and disrupted development of unborn babies in pregnant women.

“I quit smoking over 15 years ago, and luckily the carbon monoxide levels in my breath are back down to normal levels. But many young people are starting the habit every day, and this campaign is designed to raise awareness of the health risks linked to the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke,” said Kyprianou.

“Healthcare costs caused by smoking top €100 billion per year in Europe and smoking has become the main preventable killer of our time, which kills 650,000 people in the EU every year. The HELP campaign has been very successful so far in getting the message across that smokers can get help to quit, and warning young people of the risks of passive smoking and addiction. With this carbon monoxide campaign, the HELP campaign is stepping up a gear to promote a life without tobacco.”

According to the official HELP website, there are many reasons why somebody should not start the habit. Apart from the fact that tobacco kills, it is expensive, damages the body inside and out, generates addiction, is harmful to those close to the smoker and is out of fashion.

The campaign will be associated with World No Tobacco Day on May 31 through the launch of a major television campaign covering the 25 Member States.

Currently, 1.3 billion people around the world use tobacco, and 4.9 million people die from tobacco use every year. Half of all current tobacco users will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses. By 2030, the World Bank predicts that smoking will kill about one in six adults globally per year. Although almost 70 per cent of these deaths occur in developing nations, tobacco use is still a major health problem in Europe. It is the second largest cause of death and the leading preventable cause of death worldwide.

According to the HELP site, “governments and legislators have a duty to try to prevent these deaths but society must also be involved, with health professionals having a special and prominent role to play in tobacco control.”

Source: Cyprus Mail

The authorities also banned the use of the labels “light” or “mild” for tobacco products from May 1, marking the end of a transition period in place since November 2004.

Campaigners hope the new regulations – alongside a regional smoking ban in restaurants – will boost efforts across the country.

Apart from drastic warnings the tobacco products must also contain indications and recommendations including advice for people who want to kick the habit.

The Anti-Cancer League is operating a special help-line during weekdays in the country’s main languages, German, French and Italian.

The organisation says it is aware that the fight against tobacco addiction can’t be won by banning orders only. Therefore it has hired a number of experts offering practical advice to those seeking help to quit smoking.

It’s a good thing Switzerland are starting to take anti-smoking campaigns seriously.

Source: Swiss Info