Jump to full article: Transitions Online, 2005-02-24
Author: Aida Ramusovic
Intro: PODGORICA, Serbia and Montenegro--The inhabitants of the tiny Adriatic republic of Montenegro are not particularly well-known for a healthy lifestyle. But on 10 February, the country, which is thought to have one of Europe’s highest smoking rates, introduced tough anti-smoking legislation that puts it at the forefront of European anti-smoking efforts.
The new law bans smoking in almost all public locations . . .
Where smoking isn’t outright forbidden, businesses and public institutions are obliged to create separate smoking sections, and non-smoking signs must be prominently displayed. No longer will anyone under 18 be allowed to buy cigarettes.
The ministry of health said the measures, which were based on “modern solutions,” had been introduced in order to protect the public health. Health Minister Miodrag Pavlicic issued a stern warning that the ban would be “fully implemented”--not an easy task in a country where rules are regularly flouted and smoking is one of the few pleasures ordinary people can afford.
“If there is no fire there is no good conversation” goes an old Montenegrin saying.
That smoking is considered an essential part of everyday life in Montenegro (as elsewhere in the Balkans) is evident in the figures: around 250,000 of the republic’s 650,000 population are thought to be smokers. . . .
It is unclear quite how 111 inspectors will manage to monitor almost half the Montenegrin population.
Health inspector Bogdan Drobnjak says that, so far, most Montenegrins have respected the law and that they have not had many problems. He declined to say whether anyone had been charged with breaking the law, saying it was too early to say.
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