Smoking ban

Smoking bans have been introduced by many countries in various forms over the years, with legislators citing health statistics that show smoking is sometimes fatal for the smokers and those subjected to second-hand smoke. Generally the ban is on smoking in indoor public places, or unventilated sections of such places, and not an outright ban.

Despite the dire warnings from smokers that hospitality businesses such as hotels, restaurants and bars would suffer disastrously from smoking bans, with many of them going broke, the experiences of New York and California showed that business does survive. Stiff opposition to these smoking bans from smokers, bar owners, and even some non-smokers, is still prevalent in these two states, however.

The most recent country to introduce a comprehensive ban is New Zealand which passed the Smokefree Environments Amendment Bill on December 3, 2003.

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