Austria - January 1, 2009 - smoking ban large restaurants and bars..

January 3, 2009 - On January 1, 2009 an anti-smoking law in Austria goes into effect placing more restrictions on smoking in bars and restaurants. In line with the new law, restaurants and bars larger than 861 square feet have to create separate smoking sections. According to Agence France-Presse, if owners fail to comply with the new law, they will have to face a fine of up to E10,000.

Austria has one of the highest smoking rates on the continent, but is one of the last European nations to implement such smoking legislation, and its restrictions contain many loopholes. One out of two teens and adults smokes in Austria, one of the highest smoking rates in Europe. In 2007, 14,000 people died from smoking-related diseases out of an overall population of 8.2 million. Smoking is common among women and teenagers as well as men. Austrian girls light up, on average, before their 12th birthdays, the youngest age in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.

In the case of those bars and restaurants that are smaller than 538 square feet, owners can decide whether or not they want to allow smoking. The authorities will determine if the creation of a separate room is feasible for those bars and restaurants between 538 and 861 square feet. Furthermore, smoking is still permitted in college dorms, and tobacco companies can still dispense cigarettes for free.

In addition, minors and pregnant women have been banned from working in spaces where they are exposed to smoke.

References: Europe's Smoking Culture Lingers, Despite Bans by CHRISTINA PASSARIELLO, Almut Schoenfeld and David Crawford in Berlin and Thomas Catan in Madrid contributed to this article, The Wall Street Journal, 1/2/2009; Austria approves new anti-smoking law,Datamonitor, 7/10/2008; Partial smoking ban in Austria: same difference, say critics, Agence France-Presse**
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Florida's $2.3 billion deficit - increase tax on cigarettes???

January 3, 2009 - One option is to increase tax on cigarettes to close Florida's $2.3 billion deficit. A special session of the legislators will get underway Monday, 1/5/2009 to discuss options to resolve the deficit. It seems that Governor Charlie Crist, House Speaker Ray Sansom and Senate President Jeff Atwater favor raiding the Lawson Chiles Endowment Fund that pays for health programs for children and the elderly. The 3-government leaders decided to carve up the fund despite Christ saying earlier that the state's poor, sick and elderly will be spared cuts.

State Represenative Jim Waldman who introduced a special $1-per-pack in additional taxes on cigarettes said the tax would raise $700 million, half of which would go toward cutting the deficit, the other half for medical research on smoking related and other diseases. At present the tax is 34-cents per pack (now 4th lowest in nation) would be raised to $1.34 - a move that could raise about $1 billion and place Florida more in line with the average $1.12 levy among states nationally.
It would be the first time that lawmakers increased Florida's cigarette tax in almost two decades.

The increase in the tobacco tax would nearly save 100,000 Floridians from smoking-related deaths, help 123,600 adults quit smoking and prevent 209,000 youth from ever starting. Florida’s Medicaid program incurs an estimated $1.25 billion in costs due to smoking per year. All these positives would improve the state's fiscal health.

References: Holy Smokes - We Think: Tallahassee love its cigarettes more than citizen's health, Orlando Sentinel, 1/3/2009; Proposal To Up Cigarette Tax Draws Cheers, Jeers by JIM KONKOLY, Highlands Today, 1/2/2009.

Related news brief: States Need Quick Influx of Revenue – Think Tobacco Tax..
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Alberta - tobacco banned in pharmacies and grocery stores..

January 3, 2009 - Effective January 1, 2009 pharmacies and grocery stores that carry pharmaceuticals are banned from selling tobacco except in gas stations, mall kiosks or separate enclosed spaces. Cigarette sales are also now outlawed in hospitals, universities and colleges.

Anti-smoking advocates applauded the Alberta government when it last year banned smoking in all public places and work sites, bringing the province's smoking laws up to par with several other provinces. Tobacco displays at convenience stores were drastically curtailed in the summer, as cigarette "power wall" were taken down and packages stored out of sight.


The government's most recent research shows smoking rates for Albertans 15 years and older have decreased slightly, from 23 per cent in 2002 to 21 per cent in 2007. The province estimates smoking costs the Alberta economy $1.8 billion annually, mostly in medical bills and sick days from work. More than 3,000 Albertans die every year from tobacco-related illnesses. (Alberta tobacco reduction strategy is working..)

Les Hagen of Action on Smoking and Health believes the government's smoking restrictions and recent cigarette tax hikes are making a difference. He points to the government's dwindling tobacco revenues, on track to tally $50 million less than expected this fiscal year.

Both Hagen and Tony Hudson, president of the Lung Association of Alberta, want the province to hike tobacco taxes further, adding at least $2 to a cigarette pack. "It's one of the biggest levers you can push," Hudson said. "It has a really strong effect on young people. It really hits them in the pocketbook." Also these individuals are pushing to outlaw flavored cigarettes and Hudson would also like to see the entire province, like the Town of Okotoks take aim at drivers and passengers who smoke in vehicles carrying children.

Bill 45 Smoke-free Places (Tobacco Reduction) Amendment Act/Smoke-Free Public Places & Workplaces Implementation - January 1, 2008..

Reference: Alberta limits sales in war on smoking by Renata D'Aliesio, Calgary Herald, 1/2/2009

Other Alberta related news briefs: duMaurier SNUS - Comments Regarding Smokeless Tobacco from Dave Hancock, Minister of Health & Wellness, Province of Alberta, Canada..; duMaurier SNUS - Edmonton, Alberta - Imperial Tobacco Canada...; Conflict Exists With the Acceptance of Tobacco Industry Money...

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New Brunswick - January 1, 2009 Tobacco products to be hidden from view..

January 2, 2009 - Retailers who sell cigarettes and tobacco products have to "go dark" on advertising January 1, 2009. That's when new regulations come into effect under the Tobacco Sales Act. The government says that means large racks or displays of tobacco products and signs - sometimes called power walls - have to be out of sight.

But the province isn't telling gas bars, convenience store owners (2,000) or grocery stores what to do to hide the tobacco products from being in public view. "As long as it's hidden from the public's view, however the retailers want to accomplish that, that's fine," said Meghan Cumby, spokeswoman at the Department of Health. "It can be a curtain, a cupboard. However, they want to hide them, as long as it's hidden from the public's view."

Framework Convention Alliance - Tobacco Displays - The Facts

Reference: Tobacco products to be hidden from view new roles some retailers confused about changes to how they display items by HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN (mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com), The Daily Gleaner, 1/1/2009.

Related news brief: New Brunswick to ban smoking in cars with children or youth present..; Tobacco displays are on their way out in an increasing number of countries..
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Netherlands - ban on smoking in bars and restaurants NOT enforced..

January 1, 2009 - The pressure group, Clean Air Netherlands, says the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants that began July 1, 2008 has so far been a failure. It maintains a majority of bars are not observing the new legislation because the authorities are not enforcing it strictly enough.

The group wants establishments taken to court if they are regularly found flouting the ban, but it also wants individual smokers fined. Clean Air Netherlands says it received 3,000 complaints in a single month about people still smoking, mostly from people who work in bars and restaurants.

Reference: Group slams smoking ban, Radio Netherlands, 12/31/2008.

Related news briefs: Netherlands - ban on smoking in bars and restaurants NOT enforced..; Netherlands the smoking ban must be enforced - Ab Klink, Health Minister...; Congratulations are in order: Netherlands, Romania & Alberta...
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