Set to close within two years
Smoking rooms within the catering industry are about to become the thing of the past. This includes restaurants, bars and all catering establishments. The Ministry of Health has proposed that all smoking rooms should be closed within 2 years.
According to NOS, the Secretary of State, Paul Blokhuis, will bring this to attention tomorrow within the Council of Ministers. So far we are unsure if this is going to be a workable proposal.
And yes that includes the ‘green’ cigarettes 😉
Smoking ban
A smoking ban has been in place within the catering industry since 2008. An amendment to the Tobacco Act meant that other smoking restrictions and bans were in force. This reached the catering industry – however smoking rooms were exempt from this. A lawsuit was then brought about by Clean Air Netherlands. In response to this, in February this year, the court ruled that the smoking rooms should no longer be exempt.
Paul Blokhuis has decided that all of these smoking areas should close within a 2 year period. This is so then it can be ruled out slowly (a transition period) to prepare the catering industry, while the Supreme court are still working on the case. If things go to plan, they will have to close immediately.
Will smoking become a thing of the past?
A big question here, but it seems that people (and the government) are realising that smoking is serious. It’s been common knowledge for a while now, but slowly and surely more laws are rules are being applied to make smoking more difficult. Of course, this may seem horrible for smokers, but it’s an effective way of encouraging people to stop smoking (which can never be a bad thing). In the UK we have a smoking ban which pretty much stops you smoking anywhere that isn’t your own front door. You can smoke in the street, but it can’t be right outside a hospital etc. It’s been so effective in driving the numbers of smokers down (it even got my mother to stop).
What do you think about this new proposal? Let us know in the comments!
