Categories
· Smokefree Policies
· Dining/Entertainment
non-USA, by Country
· Croatia
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Jump to full article: Agence France Presse (AFP) (fr), 2009-05-29
Author: Rusmir Smajilhodzic
Intro: Croatia now has one of the strictest anti-tobacco laws in the Balkans region and not everyone is happy about it.
"I am aware that cigarettes are not good for health and can bother others, but this is my luxury, a moment of relaxation," said Zeljko, a 40-year-old male nurse, sitting outside a Zagreb cafe.
"In the Balkans, it is also a question of mentality," he boasted, brandishing a coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
The World Health Organization backs this up. Thirty to 40 percent of all adults in the Balkans are inveterate smokers, its figures show, hooked on a habit the WHO -- which marks "World No Tobacco Day" on Sunday -- considers a major cause of premature death.
But owners of Croatian drinking holes fear the new ban on public smoking has come at the worst possible time for their businesses, with the country already grappling with the global financial crisis.
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