On Tuesday, March 28, 2006, the
government of Denmark, a right wing coalition, published its proposal for
smoking regulation in 'public spaces'. Let me start by stating that the proposed
regulations allow for at least some freedom of choice. The major points are as
follows:
1) No smoking inside
government and publicly owned workplaces and institutions. This also applies
to municipalities.
2) Privacy rights of
citizens must bre respected. Any institution where citizens live, must be
regulated by themselves. So inhabitants of nursing homes will set their own
rules, that apply for their own rooms.
3) Public spaces will be
declared 'smoke free'. This means shopping malls, sports clubs, sports
arenas, cinemas, theaters, etc. It is not about such a place being publicly
owned, but whether or not the public has access to such places. The law will
allow for smoking rooms. Also, hotel rooms will not be 'smoke free'.
4) Private places of work
must employ a 'smoking policy'. Each individual workplace or company sets
its own rules, in accordance with a set of conditions. The following rules
can apply:
a) 'Smoke free'
property (i.e. indoor and outdoor smoking ban)
b) 'Smoke free'
indoors.
c) Smoking allowed in
smoking rooms.
d) Smoking allowed in
individual offices.
e) Smoking allowed in
shared environments, if every individual concedes.
5) Restaurants. Smoking
will be banned in areas with public access. But seperate smoking rooms, with
serving, will be allowed at the owners discretion.
6) Bars and pubs. Bars over
100 sq metre are 'smoke free'. Seperate smoking rooms, with beverage serving
will be allowed, at the owners discretion. Bars of less than 100 sq metre
may allow smoking everywhere or ban it completely, at the owners discretion.
The law will be discussed, and
its final version put to a vote in the autumn of 1006. The law will be in effect
on April 1, 2007.
It must be understood that the
law allows for some choice. Given the coalition partners in the government,
which includes the Conservative party, it is not likely that a full indoor ban
will be enacted. But anti's are already screaming about smoke sifting through
cracks in doors, that will pollute the 'smoke free' air, and kill all the
nonsmokers, who are of course assumed to be smoker racists.
Source: The Danish
ministery of internal and health affairs (www.indenrigsministeriet.dk)
English brief:
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/94765.html
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