Ring In the New European Smoking Rules
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 7:44 AM

2004 will see a host of new smoking regulations coming into effect, with some of the most notable changes occurring in Europe. In Italy, January 1 brings into effect a ban on the operation of cigarette vending machines between the hours of 7AM and 9PM. A requirement that smoking sections in Italian bars and restaurants be well-ventilated will take effect later in the year. Ireland will implement its ban on smoking in workplaces, including pubs and restaurants, later this year. Norway and the Netherlands also have smoking bans on tap. France is raising its taxes on cigarettes for the third time in a year. According to the linked article, the tax "will raise the cost of a pack of cigarettes to about $6.30 US – 50 per cent higher than the average cost of a pack a year earlier. Britain still has the highest cigarette prices in the European Union, with an average pack costing about $7.80 US."

Vice Squad has previously looked at French cigarette taxation, as well as the Irish workplace smoking ban and smoking bans more generally.

Update: Friend of Vice Squad Pak Shun Ng has e-mailed a link to this article on the new smoking regulations in the Netherlands. As of today, a ban on smoking in many public places has come into effect, though bars and restaurants will not be included for another year, it seems. Workplace smoking is only permitted in specially ventilated rooms. The Netherlands made good use of the January 1 implementation date: "In the run-up to the New Year regulations, more than 850,000 Dutch smokers pledged online to quit in 2004."

Labels: Europe, smoking, smoking ban, taxes, tobacco