Today marks the beginning of the new smoking ban in Spain, which effects all “enclosed spaces of public or collective use”. There are many opinions surrounding the new anti-smoking law, both positive and negative, including worries about the possible adverse effects on bars and cafés, as stated here by Graham Hunt. And many people think that Spaniards will just ignore the law and continue to allow smoking in their establishments.
I’m not so sure. First of all because bar owners would face being fined, but also because when the first stage of the anti-smoking law came into effect in 2006 people adjusted to it surprisingly well. Used to be I’d walk into the bank or post office and workers would be sitting there with heaping ashtrays on their desks, and almost every tapas bar was so full of smoke that it would seriously interfere with enjoying a meal. These days – at least in Seville – I seldom notice smoke in tapas bars and restaurants, so it’s hard to imagine that taking this next step is going to prove too difficult for smokers to handle, or that it would seriously affect their social habits. Also, there have been a lot of comments by Spanish people on places like Twitter saying how great it’s going to be not to have to put up with second-hand smoke anymore, so there is clearly some positive opinion about the anti-smoking law.
What do you think? How will the new law effect you as a smoker, a business owner or a client? Are you for it, against it, indifferent?