There used to be an article on this site that promoted Belgrade with the title: Smoking allowed! that invited foreigners to enjoy the life to the fullest by coming to Serbia to smoke whenever and wherever they want, but I was wrong, I admit, so i took it down some time ago. Smoking is not only bad for the smoker, but for those around as well. Back then when I wrote it, I didn’t think all that much about this little detail.
Now, the debate on whether Serbia’s government should ban smoking in public places has also begun. As a demonstration of a preparedness to impose smoking ban everywhere, a public debate in front of the Philosophical faculty was held today, with one debating group approving the ban and the other opposing it. Naturally, the non-smoking group won easily.
I have great doubts that the ban will be respected. So far smoking has been forbidden in public offices, schools, hospitals and places like that – but this new proposal goes against smoking in Belgrade restaurants and Belgrade cafes, bars and clubs – how do you think the public will react? I am a non-smoker so I won’t be affected by this, unless you count that I won’t have a cigarette stench in my clothes after i go home from the night out in the city. But I did notice a great number of my friends stopped smoking in the past couple of years – is this also a trend coming from the West I wonder?
And while we wait to see how will the smokers react the Albanians seems to have beaten us to it – the smoking ban is on since Friday, says Our man in Tirana, who was also skeptical about it, but it appears that he thinks now they will pull it off without many problems. Hopefully we will get an update on how the things are developing in the future.
One of the problems in Serbia is that the state thinks it’s making a lot of money from the cigarettes so they are not so eager to ban smoking. But the only money makers are the cigarette companies, who are lobbying like crazy against the ban i presume. The state actually loses a lot more than it earns, with every citizen that dies of smoking – someday we have to realize this.
Besides the smoking in public places ban, the Ministry of health also proposes increasing the price of a pack and limiting the production of cigarettes.
Like the time the police started charging fines to drivers for not wearing seatbelts, I think that this campaign must give results if the money fines are set to be high enough.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought I should include this little snippet on the issue:
Ministry of Health aims to halve number of smokers by 2015
Belgrade, May 30, 2007 – Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic said on the occasion of the World No Tobacco Day that the Ministry of Health aims to halve the number of smokers by 2015.
‘Milosavljevic said that results of the Ministry as part of the Tobacco Control Strategy are already showing results since the number of smokers is being reduced by 1% every next year.
He said that the aim of the Ministry is that all health and educational institutions become areas free of tobacco smoke.
According to Milosavljevic, the EU set 2009 as the year without tobacco smoke and by that time smoking should be banned in every official institution.
Cigarette makers and the Ministry of Health are opponents and therefore there will be no partnership between them, the Minister said and noted that some representatives of the tobacco industry tried to establish cooperation with the Ministry. Milosavljevic explained that it is not possible as they are on opposing sides.
Most efficient measures in fighting smoking is an increase of cigarette prices and limiting supply, Milosavljevic said and added that inspectors charged 1,000 unconscientious smokers with mandatory fines since January.’
My comments wow – like a reduction of 1 percent per year what an achievement!
What the hell is an unconsciencous smoker? In Serbian its meant to refer to those that smoke in the presence of non-smokers – the suggestion being of course that all such people who smoke in the presence of non-smokers do not know what the impact on their health might be. What about the ‘boli me k’ smokers? Are they suggesting that all smokers are uneducated? Or is it language already loaded (or designed) to let smokers off the hook?
If the government is serious about this issue we shall see very shortly the first sign will be if rules are enforced on no smoking in government buildings. If these rules are still ignored one can call all of this hot air.
Actually Viktor I think that the cigarette lobby is only part of the answer. The real problem, again in my opinion, is a lack of will to enforce rules -for fear of reaction. If rules are imposed properly and followed by everybody then people will abide by them.
A reduction of 1% a year is pretty normal I think. Although only a really whopping rise in the price of ciggies will shock more into giving up.
I’m intrigued to see if the rule is really enforced in Serbia.
In England smoking will be banned even in pubs from the end of the month. The end of an era…... the pub was always a place with a smoky haze in the air.
A reduction of 1% a year is pretty normal – fair enough. But lets draw a parallel its like saying that if Serbia were to achieve economic growth of 5 percent a year that would be fairly good.
The problem being that Serbia starting point is much lower. I mean of course that Serbia has one of the higest rates of smoking in the world. Additionally there is some truth in the idea that one should strive to achieve more even if that total isnt achieved in the end. I’d aim to reduce smoking by 4-5 percent annually in Serbia. Any end result higher than 2 percent I would consider a success. On this issue I’m pretty moderate but the rate of smoking is so heavy I probably look like a radical on the issue.
I dont agree that smoking should be banned in pubs or cafes although non smoking areas should be mandatory.
NOOOOOOOOOO!! Belgrade was my last Paradise Zone where to smoke free and happy!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Regina, don’t worry, my guess is that the ban will only include indoors, you will probably still be allowed to smoke in the gardens of cafes and outside. Besides, it’s not official yet and who knows when it will be implemented.
Good news: I just saw that Serbia has been awarded this year’s World Health Organization anti-smoking campaign award – here you can see the video for the campaign One smoker, may victims.
...‘The Minister stressed that smoking is “not a bad habit, but a serious problem”, a risk factor for serious illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and malignant tumors.
He recalled that from 2000 onwards, the percentage of smokers in Serbia has reduced by 1% ‘
Excuse my disbelief but a reduction of 1 percent since 2000 is hardly progress. Discount those that die as a direct result of smoking and the figure is probably unchanged from 2000.
And yeah smoking isnt a bad habit, the taste it leaves in your mouth and the colour on your fingers is just dreamy. And I just lurrve coming home from a cafe smelling like an ash tray. No its not a dangerous, addictive drug, its our tradition since Turkish times so lets be philosphical about it and express empty sentiment.
I dont sense much change on this. The tone of the message has to change as well as the policy in order for smoking reduction to succeed.
Still, although a friend of mine who knows him said that that the Health Minister is useless I’m inclined to give him a chance as he worked at a hospital in London where I was once a patient. Having said that lets not forget that this is the only Minister who has been in charage continuously of any Ministry in Serbia since 2000. If he continues to fail on the no smoking strategy on this it will be his fault.
I hope such a ban will indeed go through.
I don’t go out as much as I would like any more, while I still enjoy it very much when I’m abroad. I’ve realized the only reason is that in most countries I’ve been to in recent years you can actualy breathe in clubs and bars.
!% since 2000! I see your point. Complacency is his middle name then.
What’s the situation with the black market nowadays? I ask because the most obvious way to reduce the amount of smoking is to significantly raise taxes and that would be pointless if you can just buy ciggies on the street for far less.
These days its hard to find ciggies on the street – in Belgrade at least.
Price of cigarettes have gone up in recent years but dont match price rises in other states trying to control smoking.
Every once in a while I go to the Government building to finish up some stuff, and the staff there regularly smokes. They even offer me with cigarettes while I’m waiting for the stuff to be done.
I would report them, but somehow I think their willingness to help me with my stuff will vanish if I do… You know the story…