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Bars and restaurants in Greece vow to snub smoking ban (News Feature)  

Bars and restaurants across the Greek capital Athens have vowed to break a nationwide smoking ban by allowing their customers to light up on Sunday.

Greece, home to Europe's largest percentage of smokers, imposed its third and toughest ban on smoking in enclosed public places at the start of October.

But the Federation of Restaurants and Bars (POESE), which has 152 affiliated unions representing 121,000 businesses, has decided to take drastic action against the ban, according to a report in the Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini.

Yiannis Tsakos, president of POESE, told the newspaper that the federation is not against the smoking ban itself but strongly opposes its timing due to the economic crisis.

He claims the smoking ban has led to a drop of about 30 percent in turnover at bars, cafes and restaurants that cannot offer customers the option of sitting outside to smoke.

In an act of defiance, establishments said they will put ashtrays back on tables and bars, allowing customers to light up on Sunday.

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Greece cracks down on smokers 

Greek smokers will be forced to curb their habit as Athens tries to enforce a blanket ban on smoking in public places as of September 1. Yet restaurant owners have vowed to resist.

Greece on Wednesday imposed a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places. Offenders will be liable to fines from 50 to 500 euros ($64 to $640) while restaurant owners risk penalties of up to 10,000 euros. Furthermore, outdoor tobacco advertising will also be banned.

It's the second attempt to curb smoking in the EU's most nicotine-addicted nation. In July 2009 smoking was banned in some public places but the measure was never fully implemented and eventually was dropped. Almost 45 percent of Greeks smoke compared to an EU average of 29 percent.

This time the government said it would enforce the ban, which Prime Minister George Papandreou said would "contribute to our goals of making the country more viable, not only economically, but in daily life."

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• France Considers Smoking Ban 

"Sartre smoked. Colette, George Sand, Marguerite Duras, [André] Gide -- they all smoked," said Jean Claude Blondel, manager of the Café Flore. "We have a long history of great thinking here, [with] coffee and cigarettes."

Nevertheless, the anti-smoking forces are swirling in Europe. Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway and Sweden have already banned smoking in public places. Finland, Poland, Latvia and Hungary are expected to follow. And in the United States, several states and major cities -- such as Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco -- have smoking bans in place. Montgomery County has a ban in place, and the District is considering one.

In 1991, the French government passed a law requiring restaurants and bars to provide nonsmoking areas. . . .

In France, the business of selling cigarettes is reserved for the 29,000 buralistes , or tobacconists, who are licensed to sell tobacco in France's bar-tabacs . . . .

The economic impact of smoking bans is unclear. In Italy, tobacco sales fell 20 percent following the ban on public smoking in January. In Ireland, restaurant revenues decreased around 7.5 percent in the first six months after its smoking ban began in March 2004 but have since begun to recover, according to studies by the Smoke Free Europe partnership. And researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that a smoking ban in Massachusetts did not adversely affect business for restaurants and bars.

Nevertheless, Andre Daguen, head of the Trade Union for Hotel Industries, worries about the effect of the ban on his members.

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Ramadan Helps Many to Quit Smoking 

One of the many benefits of Ramadan is that not only does the sale of cigarettes go down, but many Muslims find it a help in giving up smoking. Even "passive fasters" speak of benefiting from the holy month.

Studies in Saudi Arabia have shown that cost was not an important factor in the decision to kick smoking. "Ramadan does not cost a person anything, instead it gives him a lot, including a chance to give up the habit," said Muhammad Ali, who used to smoke two packets a day.

"I made many resolutions to give up smoking," he said. "One Ramadan I refrained from lighting up after iftar. It was a bit difficult to control the urge for a few days, but I resisted, and by the end of the month, the habit ended forever," he added.

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President Gayoom appeals to public to take on responsibility for safeguarding non-smokers from becoming victims of diseases related to passive inhalation of smoke 

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has appealed to the public to take on the responsibility for safeguarding non-smokers form becoming victims of diseases related to passive inhalation of smoke. The President made this appeal in a message sent on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, which was marked on Thursday. The message was read out by the Minister of Health, Ahmed Abdullah, at a meeting held on Thursday afternoon at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital to mark the day. In his message the President said that smoking at public gatherings, which poses discomfort and grave dangers to the health of others, was a distasteful act judging by the standards of a decent, progressive and civilized society like Maldives. . .

The President underscored the high priority given by the government to reduce the level of smoking in Maldives from a very early stage and pointed out that as a result, many of the measures being promoted by the World Health Organisation to reduce smoking have already been implemented in Maldives.

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Guraadhoo women quit smoking