Austria stubs out looming smoking ban in name of 'freedom'

[wvwvw]

Austria stubs out looming smoking ban in name of 'freedom'

Plan to ban smoking completely in bars and eateries from 2018 scrapped by far-right Freedom party in coalition talks
Tuesday 12 December 2017 01.25 GMT Last modified on Tuesday 12 December 2017 22.00 GMT


Unlike in most of Europe, in Austria people can smoke in eateries under certain conditions.

Austria’s far-right Freedom party has announced that a planned ban on smoking in all bars and restaurants that was due to come into force in 2018 will be scrapped.

Party chief Heinz-Christian Strache said the reversal was agreed in ongoing talks to form a coalition with the conservative People’s party (OVP) following elections in October.

“I am proud of this excellent solution in the interests of non-smokers, smokers and restaurant owners,” Strache, who had made the move a key campaign pledge, said on social media.

“The freedom to choose lives on. The existence of restaurants (particularly small ones) has been secured. Thousands of threatened jobs have been saved,” said Strache, himself a smoker.

Unlike in most of Europe, in Austria people can smoke in eateries under certain conditions – which are widely flouted – including that it is confined to separate rooms.

The outgoing government, a coalition of the OVP and the Social Democrats, passed a law in 2015 banning smoking completely in bars and eateries, which was due to take effect next May.

The new government, which Strache and non-smoker OVP leader Sebastian Kurz want installed before Christmas, will make some concessions, media reports said.

Under-18s will not be allowed in smoking rooms of bars and restaurants, smoking will be outlawed in cars if under-18s are inside, and the minimum age for smoking will rise from 16 to 18.

“Overturning the total ban on smoking in the restaurant industry is an enormous step backwards on health policy,” said health minister Pamela Rendi-Wagner of the Social Democrats, who plan to go into opposition once a coalition deal is reached.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ng-ban-freedom

[Mortimer]

Im smoker and want to smoke in bars. For me its reasonable if there is a smokers corner in the bar or restaurant, and non-smokers wont be affected if they are not in the smokers corner.

[Bobby Martnen]

Smokers are one of the last groups it's socially acceptable to be prejudiced against. Nonsmokers need learn to tolerate smoking.

I've probably smoked about 80 cigarettes in my life

[badabum]

Why smoke when you can vape.

[Rumata]

The freedom to breath the air free of tobacco smoke > the freedom to kill oneself by tobacco smoke.

[wvwvw]

The freedom to breath the air free of tobacco smoke > the freedom to kill oneself by tobacco smoke.

The freedom to defend the freedom of smokers, and the private property rights of bar and restaurant owners.

[Bobby Martnen]

The freedom to breath the air free of tobacco smoke > the freedom to kill oneself by tobacco smoke.

Let businesses decide for themselves if they want to allow smoking on the premises

Smoking's not that bad for you either - my grandma smoked and she's in her 80s and in good health...

[Rumata]

The freedom to defend the freedom of smokers, and the private property rights of bar and restaurant owners.

The article says that the conditions in which smoking is allowed now are widely flouted. Thus the interests of non-smokers are damaged. It doesn't surprise me at all, considering volatility of the smoke and how little some of the smokers care about those who don't want to share consumption of the smoke with them.

Unlike in most of Europe, in Austria people can smoke in eateries under certain conditions – which are widely flouted – including that it is confined to separate rooms.

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Let businesses decide for themselves if they want to allow smoking on the premises

I'd rather outlaw tobacco business altogether.

I've probably smoked about 80 cigarettes in my life

Smoking's not that bad for you either - my grandma smoked and she's in her 80s and in good health...

She smoked how much? I've smoked for 15 years and I know too well that smoking is very, very bad for the health. One second googling will bring you a million of proving pages.

[Bobby Martnen]

She smoked how much? I've smoked for 15 years and I know too well that smoking is very, very bad for the health. One second googling will bring you a million of proving pages.

Frequent smoker for decades - quit in the late 80s.

[Rumata]

Frequent smoker for decades - quit in the late 80s.

Her health was damaged by smoking seriously, but you don't know about it.