According to opinion polls, the majority of Dutch residents support the new measure. A survey conducted in late June showed that the smoking ban would bring about 800,000 new customers to Dutch restaurants and cafes who had not visited these establishments because of the cigarette smoke.
Dutch restaurateurs, however, express dissatisfaction with the new law, believing it will sharply reduce the number of customers. Coffee shop owners are also opposed to the new regulations, as most cannabis smokers prefer to mix it with tobacco.
Dutch authorities said they will begin immediate inspections to enforce the ban. Violators face fines of up to €2,400. "This is absurd. In other countries, they check if there is marijuana in your cigarette, but here they will check if there is tobacco in your marijuana," the chairman of the national coffee shop association said, as quoted by the Daily Telegraph.
As stated by Saskia Hooms, a representative of the Dutch Ministry of Health and Sport, the same policy will be applied to coffee shops as to all other cafes and restaurants. "This means that tobacco or a mixture with tobacco can only be smoked in isolated rooms. The new law is designed to protect employees from tobacco smoke," she said.
According to Saskia Hooms, the right to a tobacco-free workplace has been legalized in the Netherlands since 2004. An exception was made for catering establishments, which was lifted on July 1.
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority will monitor compliance with the smoking ban. Its representative, Chris Krikken, said that inspections will certainly be carried out in coffee shops as well. "Inspectors will sniff to see if anyone is smoking tobacco or a mixture of the drug with tobacco. If someone is caught doing this, the establishment's owner will be fined. However, hashish and marijuana can still be smoked in coffee shops," he noted.
On the occasion of the new law coming into force, numerous smoking parties were held in the Netherlands in the last days of June. By purchasing a ticket, one could smoke unlimited quantities of freely distributed cigars and cigarettes. In smoke-filled halls, poems and songs praising smoking were heard; in one cinema, ads for cigarettes and films featuring characters who smoke heavily were shown. As an exception, viewers were allowed to smoke in the hall throughout the screening.
The Cigar Smokers' Guild intends to ignore the new law and hold its traditional annual cigar-smoking demonstration at the "Neptune" tavern in the city of Den Helder. Protesting the ban, guild members emphasize that the Netherlands is the world's largest exporter of cigars. The well-known Dutch rock band DC/Dixi performed a song against the smoking ban. The musicians collected 100,000 signatures on a petition demanding the government reverse its decision to ban smoking in cafes and restaurants. However, all these actions had no effect.
The Netherlands is not the first EU country to impose a ban on smoking tobacco in public places. Such measures are already in effect in, for example, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
RIA Novosti