Slovenia to Have Stricter Smoking Legislation Soon
Changes to the law on smoking which aim to ensure the complete protection of all people in public and working environments from the dangers of passive smoking were announced by Health Minister Andrej Brucan at a press conference on Wednesday on World No Tobacco Day.
Smoking still remains one of the greatest public health problems in Slovenia, said the minister. Almost 3,000 people die as a result of tobacco use every year and a considerable number of these deaths can be put down to passive smoking.
According to EU figures, passive smoking claims the lives of several thousand non-smokers every year, which means that 15 Slovenians die as a result of passive smoking in the workplace while 300 people die at home from the same cause every year.
Tit Albreht from the Public Health Institute warned that smokers are more expensive patients than non-smokers even though they die younger. He also said that the first anti-smoking law from 1996 was good, except that it did not forbid the sale of tobacco products in shops with foodstuffs.
The new legislation is also designed to make tobacco less accessible to minors and encourage people to give up smoking. Public places are expected to become no-smoking areas and bars will have to provide a special area for smokers where food and drink will not be served.
These smoking rooms will have suitable ventilation to avoid smoke reaching other rooms. The minister also said that two thirds of smokers support the prohibition of smoking from all closed working areas.
Brucan also said that the changes would be open for public debate in the coming days.
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