rahvin
keeper of the flame
actually, in italy the only law prohibiting smoking in places open to public other than those belonging to the public administration will start having its effect in january, 2005. until then, there is no obligation on the part of the owner to differentiate between smoking/non-smoking areas, which is why all clubs turn into smoke-filled clubs at night. after january, 2005, it will be compulsory to either set up a separate room for smokers, or prohibit smoking altogether. due to rather restrictive laws (already existing) concerning air circulation and security, the number of places open to public which will even have a chance to pick solution number one without a massive renewal of the rooms is going to be pretty slim.Hiljainen said:
in addition, i want to point out that:
- the possibility of forbidding smoking altogether won't be taken into consideration for reasons completely unrelated to the health of the citizens. the health of the citizens is jeopardized by hard drugs as well, and their sale is indeed against the law in a number of countries. the sale of cigarettes/cigars/tobacco is unlikely to be outlawed due to the infinitely slower effect (statistically speaking) of the damaging process, the lower risks when it comes to civil unrest and petty crime, and the huge proportions of money invested by corporations in the tobacco industry.
- public places, places open to public, and the open air are not the same thing. a hospital, a classroom, the police station: these are usually public places and smoking is already forbidden - in italy - in such areas. clubs and restaurants and bars and discos are usually places open to public, which means that they're private areas put to some use involving the presence of others. the open air is self-explicatory, and there has been no suggestion of prohibiting smoking there as well.
I agree with your idea of having a little intelligence about the subject and having separate rooms and exercising a little restriction in crowded areas.
