1

Anti-Smoking Laws.

Tobacco use, including smoking, is the number one cause of preventable deaths.
Tobacco-related illnesses kill about 430,000 people each year in the United States. Cigarette
smoke also harms the health of people who do not smoke. All of these health problems mean
that billions of dollars are being spent on medical expenses. Most of this money comes from
insurance companies and government health care programs.

Finally, some governments have decided to put a stop to the damage done by
smoking. A good example of a country that is taking action against smoking is Canada. All
across Canada, anti-smoking laws are being passed.

In Ottawa, smoking was banned in all work-places and public areas. On July 1, 2004, all
public places in Saskatoon went smoke-free. That even includes outdoor seating areas, like
pubic parks. If you smoke in those areas, you can be fined $10,000. Similar laws have been
passed in provinces like Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario. These laws, enacted to improve public
health, could have negative effects, too. Owners of bars worry that business will suffer if
guests can’t smoke, but positive effects have already been measured. In 1994, 32 percent of
Canadian men over the age of 12 were smokers. In 2004, the number had declined to 23, 5
percent.

Canada is not the

only country to take action.
In March 2001, Israel made
all public places, including
hospitals, shopping malls,
and restaurants, smoke-free.
However, unlike Canada, the
law in Israel allows for separate
smoking rooms. Then in March
2004, Ireland became the first
country to enact a ban on
smoking in workplaces across
the entire country.
That includes the pubs where
people gather to drink alcohol.
Though there are some
smokers who want the law
repealed, more than 80
percent of the Irish support
the law. In fact, the law has
been strictly enforced.

Just one day after the law was passed, a politician was caught lighting up in a bar at the Irish
parliament. He was immediately fired from the cabinet! The success of the anti-smoking law in
Ireland has motivated Scotland to consider passing a similar law.

marceloariasclaveria@yahoo.com.ar
 2

Unfortunately, not all smoking bans are received so enthusiastically. In France, fifty
percent of people aged 15 to 24 smokes. That’s the highest rate of young smokers in the
European Union. Although France passed a ban on smoking in public places in 1992, not even
schools pay attention to the law. A study discovered that 52 percent of high schools allow
students to smoke between classes. The French government is now trying to limit youth
smoking with new laws. One new law forbids the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 16 years
old. However, when the head of a Paris school tried to enforce the smoking ban, hundreds of
students demonstrated against it.

Though it might seem like a healthy idea to ban smoking, not all countries react the
same way to anti-smoking laws.

marceloariasclaveria@yahoo.com.ar