Crackdown on smoking in the north

THE Turkish Cypriot ‘council of ministers’ has ratified a bill that if passed by ‘parliament’ could make smoking illegal in many public buildings and force restaurant and bar owners to create separate no smoking areas.

The draft bill, which covers smoking in public vehicles and closed areas, recommends fines of just over £30 for those ignoring the ban and fines of up to £700 for those who allow people to smoke in places where it is banned.

‘Health and social security minister’ Huseyin Celal told the Cyprus Mail that the law, if passed, would not ban smoking in entertainment venues outright, but would legally bind owners to provide separate non-smoking areas.

Restaurateurs in the north said they did not expect the restrictions to adversely affect business. One restaurant owner in Nicosia said: “We don’t have separate smoking and non-smoking areas at the moment, but I am quite happy to give a small area over to non-smokers. She added she would be opposed to an absolute ban as in Ireland and Norway.
“As long as people are aware of the hazards involved in smoking, I think they should be given the choice.”

Celal added that the new law would also seek to restrict cigarette advertising, particularly at sporting events.

The advertising ban has met with opposition from companies that sponsor sporting events, who say many of the events would not be able to take place without their backing.
However, one company in the north, Kaner Ltd, who market Philip Morris and Imperial tobacco products, told the Mail the two companies had already signed an agreement not to promote or sponsor any sporting events worldwide.

Celal said debate on the issue would continue when the bill is presented to ‘parliament’.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.