While the debate within the Chamber of Deputies over easing restrictions on the current smoking ban continue, the majority of the public is in favor of the current regulations. Photo credit: Pixabay
Brno, May 30 (BD) – Since May 31, 2017, after a long public debate, smoking indoors at establishments such as bars, cafes and restaurants has been prohibited in the Czech Republic.
Talks regarding the removal of some aspects of the law are currently in progress within the Chamber of Deputies. According to Prague TV, Marek Brenda, deputy of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) is one of the strongest supporters of the argument for easing the smoking ban (“Czech Smoking Ban Favored By Large Majority”, published 28/5/2018).
Benda believes that the management and owners of bars and small pubs should be given the right to decide if smoking in their establishment is prohibited or not. Moreover, he suggests that restaurants and cultural facilities such as theatres and cinemas should provide separate smoking areas for smokers, Prague TV reports.
However, recent studies show that the majority of the public are content with the current state of smoking laws.
Research by the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University, carried out in co-operation with the agency Ipsos, show that around 71 percent of Czechs support the smoking ban while only 12 percent oppose the ban.
In an article published by Radio Praha last month, the smoking ban was reported to have already shown positive effects on the public health (“Health Data Show Smoking Ban Is Effective”, published 10/4/2018). Data released by the Institute of Health Information and Data, cited by Radio Praha, show a decrease in patients with heart attacks or hospitalised by other heart-related problems since the introduction of the ban.
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