[Intl-tobacco] Sweden Seeks to Ban Smoking in Restaurants and Bars

[Robert Weissman]

Sweden Seeks to Ban Smoking in Restaurants and Bars
Bloomberg
 December 17, 2003

 Sweden will seek to ban smoking in bars and restaurants within two
years to
 protect employees in the industry, following countries including Norway an=
d
 Ireland and cities such as New York. Parliament representatives from the
 ruling Social Democrats, the Green Party and the Left Party back the
 proposal, giving it a majority in Sweden's Riksdag, said Kicki Moeler, a
 spokeswoman for Health Minister Morgan Johansson, in an interview. The ban
 will take effect June 1, 2005, she said.

 In Sweden, =93all workers have the right to a smoke-free working environme=
nt,
 except for restaurant workers,' Moeler said. The government =93wants to ge=
t
 rid of that exception.' The crackdown comes after New York banned smoking
 in restaurants and bars earlier this year amid protests from restaurant
 owners. Neighboring Norway plans to ban smoking in bars and restaurants
 starting in June, and Ireland outlaws it in January.

 Restaurant workers are 50 percent more likely than other employee
groups to
 get cancer, according to a study by the National Institute of Public Healt=
h.
 Unlike in Norway and Ireland, Swedish restaurant owners would be permitted
 to set up designated smoking areas. The smoking-ban proposal came after th=
e
 health effects on restaurant employees were investigated in January, said
 Anna Oestbom, a tobacco expert at the institute. In other parts of the wor=
ld
 where smoking has been prohibited, restaurants, pubs, bars and hotels
 haven't suffered, she said.

 More Sales

 =93There are no indications that there's economic loss' from smoking bans,
 said Oestbom in an interview. A June study published in the Cornell Hotel
 and Restaurant Administration Quarterly found that smoking bans in New Yor=
k
 counties boosted sales and hiring at hotels and restaurants, rather than
 hurting such businesses. Ireland's ban on smoking in all workplaces,
 including restaurants and bars, begins Jan. 26. The law also bans
smoking in
 aircraft, on trains and ships and on all public transportation. The Irish
 Hospitality Industry Alliance is considering asking courts to throw out th=
e
 new law on the grounds that its members haven't been consulted.

 New York City expanded its anti-smoking legislation this year to protect
 workers, abandoning exemptions for restaurants with fewer than 36 seats,
 taverns, hotel lobbies and private offices. The law doubles the maximum
 penalties for owners to $400 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second an=
d
 $2,000 for a third within 12 months.

 Separate Rooms

 The New York law gives restaurants and bars three years to install separat=
e
 smoking rooms with strict specifications for ventilating systems to remove
 smoke and keep it from circulating in non-smoking areas. It also permits
 seven existing cigar bars to stay in business without such modifications,
 and allows outdoor cafes to set aside smoking areas.

 Some Swedish restaurant workers aren't convinced a ban won't result in
 economic damage. =93The whole restaurant business will suffer,' said Ander=
s
 Franchell, a waiter at the Tranan restaurant in central Stockholm. ``If th=
ey
 want to improve the working conditions for the employees, install more fan=
s
 instead.'