A lot of people smoke nowadays. Even though people are less open to smoke, there is still a large percentage of the world that smokes. Back in the day, even women smoked. For an example of how open people were, in the Netflix series, Ratched, set in the year 1947, almost everyone was smoking. Even women and you’d be allowed to smoke in any place that you’d want to. Mind you that this era was even judgemental of people loving the same gender, which was shown in the show, but they didn’t mind anyone smoking anywhere they wanted, even in hospitals.
Back to the point, nowadays though, laws on smoking are a bit tighter. Even the image of smoking is a little stained. Most probably due to the health issues that come afterwards. Because of that, it’s either fewer people are smoking or there are a few that are not open about it to avoid being criticized. That aside, there are still places where you can freely smoke, however due to the majority who don’t and due to the health concerns, a lot of countries have implemented strict laws on where you can and can’t smoke. Here are some of the countries that have varying laws on smoking:
Slovakia
Slovakia is a country in Europe and the laws on smoking is kind of open to interpretation. One of the reasons that it’s a little loose is because the law states that it is not allowed to smoke in offices with non-smokers. Thus, that might mean that offices with a majority of smoking employees could smoke in the workplace. Or rather, they could have a designated area in the office for smokers. This makes it a little easier for people who do smoke since people tend to smoke more when they’re working. Be it to release the stress or take a break. Aside from that, eateries like bars or restaurants are allowed to designate 50% of the total area for customers who smoke. This allows a bit of freedom for people who want to hang out with their friends and smoke.
Spain
The smoking laws in the beautiful country of Spain vary depending on where you go. One of the laws that should rather be common sense is the one that states smoking isn’t allowed in areas of healthcare, playgrounds as well as educational facilities. This is obvious because playgrounds are, of course, going to be occupied by children who should not be inhaling secondhand smoke from anyone smoking. The same goes for places of healthcare where people are trying to get better. Moreover, it is just inappropriate for people or students to smoke around educational grounds. Other than that law, it is banned to smoke in eateries and any other public space except for bars and clubs that are often occupied by a lot of people who smoke.
Germany
The laws on smoking here in Germany are a bit straightforward like many other places. Simply prohibited on public transports such as taxis or busses except for trains or ships that have separate smoking areas so that people who don’t smoke. You can’t smoke in areas that are enclosed and areas that are occupied by non-smokers. Also as mentioned before, there is an exception when the area has a separate designated area for people to smoke. Other than that, per usual, smoking is banned around healthcare areas.
Australia
Here in Australia, the bans on smoking are a bit stricter, but with reason. One of them is that smoking in a car with children present is banned. This is just common courtesy, people. Whether you smoke or not is up to you but we should never involve other people in the after-effects, especially children. We have to always remember that secondhand smoking can be more dangerous than first-hand smoke. Besides that, smoking is banned in enclosed public areas or eateries. This is most probably because the smoke could linger due to little to no ventilation and cause secondhand smoke as well. They’ve also extended the ban to beaches and sports events and will result in a huge fine if caught breaking the rules. Even cigarettes have gotten more expensive.
The United States Of America
Since the US is a huge country filled with many states, their smoking ban depends on where you are or where you’re headed. It can even depend on either the state or individual cities. For instance, New York and California kind of have strict bans on smoking in public areas like parks, indoor spaces or eateries and similar places. On the other hand, there are states like Texas or Georgia where it’s pretty easy to find bars that allow smoking.
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If you’re a smoker and you’re trying to cope with these smoking bans, try vaping. Vaping laws are a bit looser since they are not as harmful to yourself and to others. A vape pen would not even cause secondhand smoke. Thus, try transitioning to vape or e-cigarettes. This might make it easier when you wanna travel around the world.
