Hard Times for Polish Smokers
23January 9, 2010 by Aleksandra Łuczak
Found on: thenews.pl
Polish bar tenders have addressed a dramatic appeal to Parliament warning that the planned ban on smoking in restaurants and pubs will cause many to go bankrupt.
The Polish Bar Tenders Association, which wrote the letter to the lawmakers, says their profession needs to be protected against the impact of the anti-smoking legislation.
What is your opinion about this ban? Does your opinion differ depending on whether you some or not?
Have your say!
“On behalf of restaurant and pub owners and their employees we appeal for a change of the planned regulations which will cause bankruptcies and scrapping of jobs on a large scale if they are adopted in the shape proposed by the Health Committee”, the bar tenders say.
They expect that the smoking ban and high fines for its violation, amounting to 20,000 zlotys or about 4,800 euro, will cause “major perturbations and abuses”. Many small, family-run businesses will collapse, the bar tenders predict.
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In my opinion Parliament should pass that bill.
First of all smoking is so unhaelthy..
For example when I`m in the restaurant or some place where we can eat something it`s makes me crazy when I smell that smoke.
I hate when all my clothes savoures like a cigarette.
When someone want to smoke it`s Ok but don`t do this close to me…
Smoking in a public place(park, bus stop, pub&restaurant ect.) should be forbidden.
I don’t think that’s a good idea!!! We all know that smoking is unhealthy but many people smoke and they enjoy it. I think they should ban smoking in restaurants but not in pubs or clubs. In restaurants, no one likes to eat meal when someone smokes next to you. In pubs and clubs, there is a specific atmosphere, and I think many people will be not very happy to drink beer without a cigarette and it really could influence on the bankruptcy of pubs and clubs.
Another very important aspect we should consider is EXCISE TAX. Every time when someone buys cigarettes, he also pays excise tax. For example when cigarettes costs more or less 10 zł, around 5 zł form those 10zł will go to the State Treasury. When we will limit smoking in restaurants and in pubs, sells of cigarettes will decrease and then it will affect our State Treasury. So it is not very good idea, because we all know that Poland is not very rich country.
If someone don’t like cigarettes smoke in pubs and in restaurants, there is very simple solution, don’t go there, just choose another place where smoking is forbidden.
It’s true that smoking is unhealthy, but everyone has the right conduct their life within the boundaries of the law and customs accepted by the society. That’s why the Parliament shouldn’t completely ban smoking; it is necessary to define areas where smoking will be allowed.
I think smoking is harmful for your health. For me smoking must be forbidden in public places. Smoking is not pleasant and dangerous for nonsmokers. Clothes smell of cigarettes and it is very unpleasant when you come home and your hair and clothes smell disgusting.
Many people start to smoke when they are kids. Children have to be protected from smoke and the smoking ban, it’s an opportunity for smokers to stop smoking and for non-smokers to don’t start. Smoking is unhealthy, harmful and causes lung cancer and serious heart diseases – smoke is killing thousands of people all over the world every day.
People who smoke chosen that kind of life and with cigarettes they have chosen to go outside when they have to smoke and they should understand that.
In my opinion people should stop smoking. Don’t be stupid, you’re better than that!
Adrianna, you’re absolutely right and I agree with you in 100% 🙂
Why always when I want to go with my friends to bars, clubs or restaurant, almost every time I must smell cigarettes smoke…
If someone like smoking, that’s ok with me… it’s not my problem…. but they supposed to smoke in some kind od special areas, not in public places.
I also agree with predecessor. It is very unhealthy for smoker and other people who should inhale unfresh air. Smoking in public place should be allowed only in special areas which don’t have close contact with other part of place.
I agree with Adrianna.Parliament should pass that bill because smoking s very unhealthy…
I don’t smoke any cigarrets.I think that
smoking is so bad for our organism.
For example smoking causes lung cancer and very hard heart diseases.
I know a lot of people who smoke and they like
it. But for me it is awful! I hate when my clothes
smells like cigarette.
If someone like smoking it isn’t problem.
But smoking in public place must be forbidden!
Comment from Ula:
I think it’s not fair. I’m not a smoker and I don’t like feel the smell of cigarette but I understand the somker. It’s very difficult to drink beer or other alcohol and not smoking. In my opinion in pubs can be other room for not-smoking person. I agree with ban in restaurant because smoking during the eating it’s awful.
I don’t agree with majority of above opinions. I’m not a smoker but most of my friend are, so I understand their problem. I think that in public places like restaurants, pubs and clubs there should be special areas for people who smoke. I understand the fear of The Polish Bar Tender Association that their wages will reduce. Does any of smokers imagine drinking alcohol or coffee without a cigarette? I don’t think so..
In my opinion this bill is too restricted. Smoking evidently is very unhealty and people who are not smoking shouldn’t breathe smoke of addicted persons. On the other side prohibition can affect local pubs and restaurants. Some of them may be even closed down like it happend in England when British Parliament has pushed in 2007 the “Non-smoking Act” and lots of local business declared bankruptcy.
At the beginning I have to admit that I do not smoke cigarettes. For me it would be great to banned smoking in public places. Poland is in the second places in the world when it goes to smoking cigarettes. How many times I went to a pub or a disco and everywhere around me were people who smoked. It is very unhealthy for people like me to inhaled smoke of the cigarettes. It is partly true that many pubs and bars would have collapsed if smoking would be banned but on the other hand the strongest would survive. In Scotland for example smoking cigarettes in public places is totally banned. Local pubs had problems at the beginning but with time everything has come back to normal.
Unfortunetly “local pubs” and At the beginning I have to admit that I do not smoke cigarettes. For me it would be great to banned smoking in public places. Poland is in the second places in the world when it goes to smoking cigarettes. How many times I went to a pub or a disco and everywhere around me were people who smoked. It is very unhealthy for people like me to inhaled smoke of the cigarettes. It is partly true that many pubs and bars would have collapsed if smoking would be banned but on the other hand the strongest would survive. In Scotland for example smoking cigarettes in public places is totally banned. Local pubs had problems at the beginning but with time everything has come back to normal.
Unfortunetly “local pubs” and big tobacco company has won the battle for our health.
I fully agree with Adrianna. Smoking should be forbidden in public areas. If someone wants to ruin his health can do this but without people who dont want to participate in smoking. In Poland we dont have many places where smoking is forbidden. Dividing one room in two areas is joke, because smoke do not know that he should not go to non-smoker area.
I think it is a good idea.Smoking is a very bad habit and maybe when in clubs, pubs and restaurants it will be forbidden some part of smokers stop smoking.
Even I sometimes smoke cigarettes it is very uncomportable to me when I go to restaurant, and after all my cloathes and hair stink becouse of cigarette smoke, so I could imagine how it is annoying to non-smokers.
Another piont is that we have to think about other people.Why they must to breathe in cigarette smoke and get poisoned even they do not smoke?
I hope that ban for smoking in public places will be introduce as soon as possible.
For all of us it will be more healthy.
first of all I must say that i didn’t read the comments, but I have my own opinion about the issue.
I understand that people have the same rights. The right to choose, so that they can choose to smoke or not. But it’s not a matter of somebody’s money… Not only.
People also need to have a right to be healthy and none of the smokers should take it away from them. It’s not a silly issue, not at all!
Smokers should understand that what they do is bad. Cigarettes are not a medicine that saves somebody’s life! it’s a thing created for enjoyment, but they are as bad as alcohol and drugs. Or even much worse because it incures non-smokers for breathing this smoke with air.
Smokers don’t ask non-smokers for a permission to pollute the air we all breath in.
Why people cannot drink beer in a public places but can smoke there? It’s an absurd!
Especially when you go out with your friends for having some drink, and in the pub you cannot find the non smoking area. Ok, you can choose another pub to not feed the smoker’s wallets, but what if it’s the only pub in your surroundings?
We should always think about people around us, because we’re not alone in this World, and we cannot forget about people’s rights to live healthy!
For me it istn’t right. In many restaurants there are areas for smokers and non-smokers. People can choose in which area they want to sit. Also the anti-smoking legislation will cause bankrupcy. Smokers will want to meet with friends for example at home, where they can smoke than pub, where they can’t do that.
I totally agree with this ban. Smokers are restricting freedom of other non smoking people. Smoke is much more harmful for person sitting next to the smoker than for the smoker! And what about the smell of our clothes and hair after leaving bars and pubs? Smokers usually do not feel the smoke’s stink.
Those are reasons for banning smoking in public. Smoking or not is not only the choice of smoker! We will pay for his cancer treatment. What is more his smoke poisons our lungs! It’s high time to stop being egoist.
I can’t wait for the harder times for the smokers in Poland. As Emilia wrote smoke is harmful for all of us not only smokers. Such a policy is a policy taking care of our health.
Everybody wishes to work in safe and comfortable conditions, we should enable those conditions for bar tenders also. It’s obvious that this profession in Poland needs protection.
What is more many European countries which introduced ban on smoking in public areas, has recorded higher earnings in restaurants and pubs. In my opinion it’s a chance for polish entrepreneurs.
I’m a habitual smoker so for me this ban is total misunderstanding. I used to like to have a coffe in a restaurant garden, but what’s the point in drinking coffe if you can’t smoke a cigarette. It’s not just my opinion. Week ago i had a conversation with one of my friends. He said that despite he doesn’t smoke he’s against this ban. Few days ago he was at the restaurant without smooking area with his friends, they all were smookers. They were eating, drinking, chating and suddenly all of them except my friend leave to have a smoke. I had stay alone at the table for quarter he said. This ban will hit mainly restaurateurs, they will lose some of their customers who can’t imagine not to smoke after dinner, so do I.
I’m a smoker and see many advantages of this ban. Thanks to this I have limited number of cigarettes smoked at the parties. So as you see this contributes positively to my helth. Besides when you go to the club you don’t have to be worried about unpleasent smell when you go out of the club. We need to nitice that less smoked cigarettes are more savings. More money left… more happy people are. I hope this is the firts step to finally quit smoking 🙂
I don’t smoke but I respect smokers and I know that we can find the solution. If the bar owners want to allow smoking and you don’t like that, go somewhere else!!! I think it is their business, so they should be allowed to make that decision, and if a patron does not like that bar owner’s decision, go somewhere else!!! Also, if you want to smoke and go into a bar that does not allow smoking, go somewhere else – it works both ways!!! More tolerance
It is obvious that this regulation is good. I am a smoker but after a few years since this legislation was passed I fell comfortable with sitting in the restaurant or a pub and not feeling this smoke.
If I want to smoke a cigarette I just go outside the building and smoke it there. There is no reason for smoking inside.
I also think that is was a good decision to forbid smoking inside public places because of the health of non-smokers. It is known that passive smokers are poisoning themselves almost as much as smokers.
In my opinion, it does not necessarily happen. Many bars have isolated smoking areas and I believe it should remain so. They should only be separated from the non-smoking rooms and well ventilated, so that not all customers have to inhale the smoke. Of course, a total ban on smoking in public places including premises may result in loss of customers. Additionally, adjusting special rooms for smokers means big expenses for workers.
I agree with Adrianna that Parliament should pass that bill. Cigarette smoking is very unhealthy and smelly. I do not smoke, but I can respect the smokers and i think that smoke in the open air should not be forbidden. However, smoking in places such as a restaurant must be prohibited. This is very disturbing to people non-smokers. I know that the separation of rooms for smokers can be expensive, but I think that many people share my opinion on this topic