Smoking ban in Spain

When they introduced the smoking ban in Spain a couple of years back, I didn't really notice much difference to be honest, with the majority of bars decided to allow smoking.

It looks like the Spanish government is considering a total ban on smoking in all public places, similar to the law in the UK.

Here's the article

hi Sanchez,

I am from Ireland, & we were the first in Europe to ban smoking from all public places & while it has effected the pubs here that i think has more to do with the price of the drink. but i have to say as an ex smoker the ban is fantastic!!! clean air inside no steaming eyes & as an asthmatic no coughing or wheezing. we are planning a move to Spain as soon as our house sells & this will be the cherry on the cake for us as when we go over now after a while our eyes hurt our lungs feel strained & we have to have a shower when we go home because our skin clothes & hair stink of cigarettes, if we just fall into bed then the sheets need changing its amazing how bad the smell is & how much you can smell it!!??

when i smoked i couldnt smell it at all mind you i wasnt a heavy smoker & only smoked for about a year when i was 21 then an aunt of mine got emphysema & i was so shocked when i saw her (a tiny grey shadow of herself) i quit never to go back!! which was just as well because later in my 30s i developed asthema lol

in Spain the climate lends itself to being outside so poping out for a smoke is much nicer than it would be in cold damp rainy Ireland lol

bring it on i say its a dying habit (ops pardon the pun) & i hope it works in Spain

Rachel

Rachel

I'm a non smoker who has never smoked. (Well... I tried a cigarette once when friends did & I inhaled & hit the deck, never again, it's a filthy habit & dangerous).

I'm just wondering how are they going to police it !!

Our local Chinese in Spain has so many no smoking notices about yet if there's someone who comes in who asks if they can smoke she just shows them a table away from others !!! As restaurants are desperately trying to make ends meet I think they thing that's acceptable & it isn't !!

good on you! your right how it is policed in Ireland is that if you smoke in a public place the police are called & you are issued with a €3000 fine if the staff of the restaurant or bar did not call the police it is taken they allowed you to smoke in their premises they too are issused a summonds to appear in court & can be fined up to €30,000.00

most people have mobiles so they just call the police but to be honest Iv never seen the ban broken as the fines are so huge & they are processed through the courts incredabily quick (its easy revenue for the government) & the fact you need a solicitor & barrister to both represent you in court adding maybe another €3000 to your bill usually puts people off lol as well as that the smoker is never believed & your fighting a loosing battle as the law is so clear so its a lot of money to risk so people here in Ireland can be seen hanging around outside pubs freezing & getting wet but not breaking the ban lol

some pubs & restaurants have built pergolas over their beer garden or patio so smokers can go out there to smoke they usually have patio heaters out there for them the answer is clearly defined tight legislation combined with huge fines. i think one or two people tested the law but were so severly & publicly delt with they dont try it now.

its fantastic though clean air no stinky clothes at the end of the night, clean lungs lovely!!

bring it in Spain

your right about that restaurant its not acceptable!! they know the law they should be fined!

Rachel, I brought those smoking to the notice of the owner who seemed totally amazed & said ' SMOKING ??? NO-O--O-O !!!' as she looked at them, then she walked over & spoke to them. I guessed she said 'someone  complain so please not to smoke' but they just finished off their cigarettes leisurely. If I'd picked up our mobile & told her I was calling police I'd have never been able to go there again. OK, does that make me worse than the smokers ? I just don't feel like hassles on an evening out but had they been at the next table I certainly would've caused an uproar.

Once in there I recall just finishing our meal & the four at the next table were commenting on giving up the weed. One was rather inebriated, possibly the designated driver  ,& he said in a loud voice (associated with drinking too much), that he has more trouble with giving up as his phlegm is thick green etc. I almost brought up my meal !! I turned round, my chair back almost touching his chair back, & asked him if that was really necessary !! He said 'don't listen then, you are so rude to listen in to others' conversation'. My husband commented that if he wasn't speaking so loudly we wouldn't have heard !

Don't fancy this happening & we do like it there, I guess it might happen anywhere.

lol God that doesnt sound like a good night out smokers & Phlem chat!! ugh lol

I think on the smoking issue I would have politely said to the owner you "you know we love the food here & were always here its our favourite place but the smoking really gets to us" after all if your regulars, your money is as important if not more so than passing trade in this recession!?

on the ignorant Phlem chatter I would have promptly started to hock & cough up right in his face maybe then the drunk ole twit might have realised what he was doing!! I wonder about people sometimes!??

I know what you mean though on an evening out your spending the few quid to have a nice night out & you get inconsiderate twits like that out!! I remember I had a joke "fart spray" years ago & I confess if someone insisted on smoking in the non-smoking section I would politly point out that it was the non-smoking section if they were rude (the usual Im payin for my meal its a public place etc etc) I would continually press the spray until they either said something to which i usually replied "see isnt it dreadful when the air you breath is fouled while your trying to eat!" or usually till thay asked to be moved because the genuinely thought I had a severe digestion problem lol I believe you can still get them!! worth a sneaky try me thinks lol;-)

I cant believe people really even if they arent worried about their health its such a hugely anti social & unacceptable habbit now why do they do it?? I mean you wouldnt wear flares or top hats in public (ok fancy dress maybe) lol

I often look at smokers & wonder why are they still doing it??? I mean when we found out that asbestos was a carcinogen we abolished it with a vengence everywhere but why some people insist on pumping a far more potent carcinogen into their lungs amazes me!!! I took one look at my aunt (whos now long dead God rest her) & I realise what a complete idiot I was!!

let me know if you find some "fart spray" if not I will bring you some over when I eventually sell this house & get going lol actually that might be a good business to go into to lol lol

enjoy your hopefully smoke free weekend :-)

Rachel

Smokers should respect non-smokers & not smoke in public places where they're NON-smoking areas.

I won't go to these restaurants where there's no non-smoking area.  Don't understand why these people don't seem to care about their health. Imagine if there're many smokers & the air will be very polluted though I know that there're other hazards which pollute the air & some of these can't be avoided but smoking can.

I completely agree with you!! its so much nicer in pubs & restaurants when there is no smoking. The problem I think fundamentally is that although they dont know it, smokers have no respect for their own health, so asking them to have some respect for our health, well to them its like asking them to pay for your house & car its unthinkable to them!!

I should point out though I have friends who smoke (2) its too unpopular & unaccceptable in Ireland so attitudes are not very tolerant of smokers. My friends are very considerate of non-smokers they know what they are doing is killing them but they keep it away from their friends, they go outside my house to smoke & cut down when they are in our company, so maybe not "all" are inconsiderate but it seems the hardened addicts are.

Rachel :-)

Personally, I think it will very difficult to stop Spanish people from smoking. I don' t think the law will be respected even if it is a complete ban.

fingers crossed

I understand where your coming from the Spanish like the Italians love to smoke & it doesnt quite have the social stigma it has in Ireland or the UK, but I think the younger generation of Spaniards are viewing it in its true light I dont think its going to work right away in Spain,

but extortionally high fines like we have in Ireland & the general changing of attitudes to smoking amongst the younger gererations will change it in time. Its good they are doing something rather than nothing.

smoking costs the national health system of every country so much its worth fining the smokers, so the state can cover the extra cost of their health care.

what is that saying? "Even the rain storm starts with just one drop"

Smokers already pay a fine.  It's called tax.

I think it is time that alchohol was banned.  There are a lot of people that binge on it to excess, and get violent.  Quite a few Engish in Spain drink drive as well.

I also find the smell of alcohol on people really offensive.

jack50

Alcholol in excess is indeed responsible for  poor health, violence and death to innocent people in car crashes etc.  It's ugly and unacceptable in public places. We have to accept that.

If alchohol in moderation was proved to ruin your health as cigs' do, or even be as anti-social, then I think most would agree with you. It doesn't though, I think that's the main difference. Those of us who drink in moderation and even get drunk on some occasions are not going to give ourselves or anyone else the foul death sentence that can and is often caused by cigs. Add that to all the other health issues and anti-social effects and the evidence for not smoking is overwhelming.

Hi all

well said goodstich44!!!!!  I would like to say jack50 is correct smokers do pay a high price "tax" as he calls it (which is on alcohol too) the problem is they also pay a high tax on their health & I have no problem with either, but I do have a problem when they expect my "taxes" to pay for their poor health & problems & when their smoking affects my Asthema (which I did nothing to bring on) also the 2 reasons why the high tax on smoking is bang on right, is because (a) its designed to be an insentive to quit & (b) most importantly its funds the governements health care, so the extra costs smokers incure upon it are not always met by non-smoking tax payers.

I agree with him on the alcohol but as you say goodstich44 me having a half bottle of vino in the pub is not affecting a smokers health but they are affecting mine. its simple if you choose to do something you know is killing, you why would you do it to an innocent stranger, who has the misfortune of sitting next to you?? 

On the drink driving front I cant see why you would do it in Spain you wouldnt Dream of doing it in Ireland or the UK but you do in your adopted country those people show a lack of respect!! banning drink is not the answer most of us go through life drinking responsibly doing no harm to others but every cigarette thats smoked takes time off a smokers life but it shouldnt be taking it off mine!!

Cheer Guys!

An absolute shame that  the no smoking ban comes to spain completely.I have been to dublin when the ban came in and was an absolutley rediculous performance from people inbetween acts at any venue you were attending.When the interval happened everyone surged to the front door for a smoke,consequently the day after the streets were covered with fag buts.I am a moderate smoker and enjoy a ciggarette when with friends.I Respect peoples views and would never smoke where someone didn't want me to,my husbands hates it and my son hates it and I never smoke in front of them.I think if society doesn't want smoking full stop the goverment should ban fags full stop and we will go cold turkey.BUT THEY WONT WILL THEY?And I bet there are a lot of non smokers out there that are benifitting from the tax from smokers in benefits?

I suppose I am a bit silly for commenting again but as a person suffering the terrible effects of the deadly weed, maybe it´s important!

Shame that all this has been said before, so many times in essence.

Felt sorry for the person that requested that people stop smoking but the offending party continued in a leisurely manner. I have read that the Spanish are naturally resenting of most forms of conformity to rules and regulations. This has been my experience, also. This is not necessarily a criticism, just an observation.

Remember, it is an extremely addictive drug. More than cocaine, even! 20 odd years ago, my waking thought was a cigarette and a mug of coffee, shangrila!! The net curtains in the apartment had to be washed every two weeks because they became a light tan colour. Doesn´t everybody do this??

If anybody criticised me for smoking, I would tell them it is my choice. Of course I did, because it´s a DRUG!!!

Well, I kicked the habit, took a long time but I got there, with now, a genuine hatred of tobacco and its smell, in all forms and believe me, not an envy, plain hatred.

Of course, the way to go is to follow Ireland´s example. Absolutely wonderful!! Kick somebody in their wallet with a large enough fine and it doesn´t matter where they come from, they will conform.

One other comment, if I may? For those people that "go outside" for a fag to show consideration. You still stink to high heaven when you return to the room. Which is where I hope I will end up when my time comes, heaven, I mean!

Must run, well walk slowly, for my breathing rehabilitation session. Wish me luck, please!

pilgrim

good for you. That's an honest  post from one who's obviously won a tough battle against addiction. For firestorm to say ''An absolute shame that the smoking ban comes to Spain completely'' just shows how the addiction takes control over rational thinking. The probable state of Firestorms lungs, let alone clothes is the real absolute shame. Having said that, the comment ''the government should ban fags full stop'' is a valid point. While temptation is put in front of you, then it must make giving up even tougher. Cancer is a dreadful and cruel disease that any of us can get at any time, but to make a habit of something that encourages it as well as many other health issues is something probably only an addict could see as acceptable.

Rachel wrote: "but I do have a problem when they expect my "taxes" to pay for their poor health & problems"

I don't mean to be pernickety, but in the UK, even after the advent of "Duty Free" cigarettes being more and more available (pretty much every smoker knows someone who sells them illegally), the taxes raised from cigarettes more than covered the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses.

In 2007, the last government figures available, the revenue from tobacco taxes was £10.3 billion, while the costs associated with treating the health effects of smoking was £3.7 billion. So, it would appear that smokers are paying for a lot of non-smokers' health care. Perhaps that of the clinically obese? After all, 2007 was the first time that the cost of treating the effects of obesity exceeded that of smoking.

Don't see 80% duty on cream cakes, though...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... fighting talk, Hybrid, over to Rachel.

(I wasn't here ).

Yes Hydridanglo smokers should pay for the rest of us as they are responsible for the deaths of many innocent people who through no fault of their own died from passive smoking.  Roy Castle being one of the most famous, never touched a cig in his life but played in pubs and clubs throughtout his career and for his devotion to his art------died.   I am a past smoker and abhore it with a passion now, hate walking into a lift when someone who is a smoker  has just left the smell alone is repugnant and vile, the mess of fags ends that are dumped normally in carparks from their full ashtrays, and the damage to childrens health are enough to ban smioking in every country thoughout the world FOREVER.

Okay, I didn't think there was anything particularly aggressive in my previous post, but it looks like some people might have taken it the wrong way. Are the tobacco police outlawing an alternative point-of-view, now?

Firstly, if you have ever smoked, you have no grounds upon which to invoke the "Roy Castle" argument. Unless your enjoyment of the habit was conducted entirely within the confines of a sealed unit. To do otherwise would be somewhat hypocritical. Or did you just smoke the special, carcinogen-free cigarettes? 

Secondly, there is significant medical evidence to refute the passive smoking allegations. The belief is increasing that, rather than having contracted cancer from exposure to second-hand smoke, it is more likely that such cases, however high profile and subject to media hand-wringing, are a result of a genetic predisposition to such disease.

Thirdly, I can only hope that those complaining about the health problems associated with second-hand smoke don't drive a car. Or buy any product which has been transported by road. It has been shown in numerous medical assessments that a child who lives (and therefore plays) in an area of heavy traffic is significantly more likely to contract asthma, or other cardio-pulmonary complaints, than those living in the same house as smoking parents.

Finally, I am in pretty good shape. I keep myself fit and, despite my enjoyment of an occasional cigarette, as well as a more than occasional beer, during my last vocational medical check-up, was found to have no evidence of the ill-health associated with my habits. So, would it be appropriate for me to speak, in fairly black-and-white terms, about having my tax spent on the treatment of obese people? Would I be in a position to suggest that those eating McDonalds, KFC and the like, should pay 80% tax on their food choices, to pay for their increased healthcare burden? Or mention the disgusting, rat-attracting litter that they leave behind? What about those filthy car drivers, who kill more innocent people than any smoker, both directly and indirectly?