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?
Don’t see how the police with all the budget cuts will be able to control this especially in small communities like La Manga
I think in smaller villages you’ll probably see a lot more “rebellion” and bars that still allow their clientelle to smoke.
I really hope it does work… but there will be a difficult period of adjustment for dance bars in summer places like Groucho and Bestario in Seville for example where everyone seems to smoke. I think it will lead to mass exodus onto the streets late at night which will really annoy residents with all the noise…
The complete smoking ban in the UK I think has been a real success. But the colder weather probably made it work sooner.
I can’t see the clientelle of either Groucho or Bestiario “taking to the streets”, but I get your point and it could be a factor with very young club-goers. Though it seems there has been a crackdown on the botellones lately and there are far fewer than there used to be.
There’ll be a lot of grumbling until about Semana Santa, but people will get used to it. You can still smoke on terrazas ‘with no more than two walls’, and hotels can assign up to 30% of rooms for smokers. I can’t wait to get back to Spain and have a beer in a smoke free bar! In a cafe in Barcelona recently, I gave a man a dirty look when he lit a cigar at 10 in the morning, and amazingly he apologised and moved a few stools down the bar. That would never have happened even a few years ago, so maybe the public consciousness is changing – albeit slowly and begrudgingly.
I’ve had that same experience at my favourite breakfast bar here – all I had to do was glance at the cig of the person sitting next to me and she got all apologetic and put it out. Though a couple of weeks ago at a tapas bar a woman sitting next to me chain-smoked through her entire meal – even while eating! – and no amount of dirty looks fazed her at all. But in general I think you’re right – the public consciousness is changing quite a lot.
it´s a question of education and common sense, smokers will have to respect the same way they have been respected (more or less) up to now. I´m happy for this law, but I´m sure it´ll bring trouble in the beginning, and young people will end up smoking and continue drinking in the streets, which is also prohibited. Anyway, If it worked in the rest of Europe, it should work here too.
I love the idea of smoke-free tapas bars. It does seem more than fair that smokers should now have to respect non-smokers and understand that their habit is actually offensive to most others.
The ban here in the UK was successful insofar as people adhered to it. It really didn’t take much policing as bars faced hefty fines if they allowed anyone to smoke in their place. But bars and cafés saw a drop in trade of 12% in the first year and many old and established haunts closed their doors. I think the system that’s currently in Spain whereby a bar can choose whether it is a smoking bar or a non-smoking bar works best because it’s about choice. I choose to smoke, therefore I go to a smoking establishment. And non-smokers can opt to frequent smoke free places. Personally, I’d much rather see small children banned from restaurants – I’m sick of having my dinner ruined by parents who appear to be blissfully unaware that their child is screaming to the point of gagging. Am I selfish? Maybe. But then so are the parents IMHO.
The system that was in place before today gave bar owners the choice of having an either smoking or non-smoking establishment depending on the size of the place – can’t recall all the details. But I believe that bars and restaurants over a certain size were required to have a non-smoking section, and there were a lot of grey areas in terms of what was allowed or not. I think this ended up being a good transition period, so that smokers could get used to the idea that they couldn’t just smoke anywhere they liked anymore.
I can see your point about designated smoking bars, but even when I used to smoke I always hated it around food. And I was always very aware that my habit bothered others, which I think is what the half-way ban of the past few years has helped show smokers.
Also agree with you about (most) small children, though it’s been my experience in Spain that kids are much better behaved than in other countries.
Personally, I never smoke in a restaurant anyway because I’d hate to ruin someone’s dinner. I also think it spoils a good meal. Re the kids – they’re probably better behaved because the parents are more considerate.
Last night I went out to Puratasca – a very popular tapas bar in Triana. It was packed solid by 9pm until closing (on a Tuesday night!) and not one person was smoking. Lovely.
So that’s one place that clearly isn’t going to be harmed by the new ban.
Everywhere they put smoking bans into effect, people whine about how this will “hurt business” and then they discover… it doesn’t. People who just didn’t go out to bars and restaurants where smoking was allowed now do. And people who used to smoke indoors do it out in the parking lot or on the street or just don’t.
If Canadians are willing to go stand outside to smoke in -whatever Celsius temperature hardy smokers elsewhere are going to do the same.
The need to congregate for beer and food eventually wears down the most stubborn of the “I’ll smoke where I like or I won’t go out” crowd. If it doesn’t… their loss. Hell! If they can do it in Paris, they can do it anywhere!
I remember my father, back when they first brought in bans on smoking in stores was outraged when a clerk at the old Freiman’s store, by then The Bay, I think, told him smoking wasn’t allowed in the store. He stomped out saying “Mrs. Freiman would be appalled at customers being treated this way” and never went back to the store. It didn’t matter that this was the law and not some personal action on the part of the clerk or an arbitrary store policy.
Even after smoking was banned in government offices, by father smoked (like a chimney) in his office… no one dared tell him not to! Of course, it killed him. No one could tell HIM smoking was bad for him or that he should quit.