Changes are coming to the law on smoking

Changes are being made to the smoking law in an attempt to close loopholes in anti-smoking legislation that allow essentially closed spaces to be called outdoors.

According to information, the Ministry of Health will attempt in the first quarter of 2023 to proceed with changes in cooperation with the relevant ministries.

As “Kathimerini” newspaper reports, the updating of the smoking ban law will take place along two main directions:

• the more precise description of the areas where smoking is prohibited, with their eventual expansion, as well as
• the redefinition of tobacco products whose use is prohibited in closed public places, taking into account all the new products that are on the market.

The ministry has already started the processing of the relevant provisions with the aim of having the new institutional framework ready in the first quarter of 2023. At the same time, actions to prevent the habit of smoking from a very young age are also being planned. The goal is that the children born in Greece in 2025 will be the first generation that will not smoke and will not be exposed to smoke.

As the general secretary of Public Health Irini Agapidakis reported to “Kathimerini”, “we are working with the relevant ministries on a series of provisions that will close gaps that we have identified in the institutional framework”.

According to Ms. Agapidakis, the gaps have to do mainly with determining the areas where smoking is prohibited and especially which are considered outdoor areas of catering establishments (cafes, bars, restaurants), especially when they are “closed” with canopies, Plexiglas and other protective covers.

According to the previous law, smoking is allowed in outdoor areas of shops only when they are open on at least two sides and are not covered. Although an attempt has been made with ministerial decisions and circulars to make a more detailed description of the outdoor space (e.g. the height that the protective coverings can have), the differences are often indiscernible and make the work of inspectors difficult.

One of the points examined in the context of the update of the institutional framework is the identification of these products. As Ms. Agapidakis notes, taking into account that since the last law up to now many new tobacco products have been released, it should be determined exactly what applies to each of them.

These loopholes make controls difficult and cloud the application of the law. “When the institutional framework is clear and you know where it is prohibited and where it is allowed, it is easier to follow the rules”, points out Ms. Agapidaki, who adds that the operational part of the controls should also be examined in order to make them more effective. coordinated.