Smoking ban: 'Battle' still difficult

Cigarette smoke contains up to 7,000 toxic chemicals, 70 of which are carcinogenic. Therefore, smoking not only affects human health but also causes economic losses to families and the country.

Smoking is harmful to the health of the smoker and those around him. In the photo: A person smoking at a coffee shop in Bien Hoa City. Photo: PL

In order to limit the harmful effects of tobacco on public health, the Ministry of Health has just issued regulations on places where smoking is prohibited.

* Many places prohibit smoking

Circular 11/2023/TT-BYT dated May 11, 2023 of the Ministry of Health regulating the implementation of smoking-free places and awarding of smoke-free environment awards, effective from August 1, 2023 (referred to as Circular 11), has stipulated places where smoking is completely prohibited indoors and on premises, including: medical facilities; educational facilities; child care, nurturing, entertainment and recreation facilities specifically for children; facilities or areas with high risk of fire and explosion.

In addition, Circular 11 also completely prohibits smoking indoors at indoor workplaces of state administrative agencies, public service units, enterprises, political organizations, socio-political organizations, social organizations, socio-professional organizations and workplaces of other agencies, organizations and units.

Smoking is also prohibited in indoor areas of the following public places: food service establishments; entertainment service establishments; train stations, wharves, bus stations; religious and belief establishments; conference centers; shopping centers, markets; theaters, cultural houses, cinemas, circuses, clubs, sports halls, stadiums; community centers and common areas of apartment buildings and other public places.

Smoking is completely prohibited in cars, airplanes, trains... in isolated areas of airports; bars, karaoke bars, dance clubs; hotels, motels, guesthouses, resorts and other tourist accommodation establishments...

Notably, Circular 11 clearly stipulates that in places where smoking is prohibited, it is mandatory to place, print, and arrange signs, signs with words or symbols prohibiting smoking with clear, easy-to-understand, and concise messages; placed in easy-to-observe places, places with many people passing by...

* The ban is in place but not easy to implement.

The 2012 Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms took effect on May 1, 2013, and has been in effect for more than 10 years. Regulations on places where smoking is prohibited and penalties for smoking in public places have been in place, but dealing with smokers is still very difficult.

According to Clause 1, Article 25, Decree 117/2020/ND-CP dated September 28, 2020 of the Government regulating administrative sanctions in the health sector, people who smoke in prohibited places will be warned or fined from 200,000 to 500,000 VND.

Director of Dong Nai General Hospital Ngo Duc Tuan said that the hospital is a place where smoking is prohibited both indoors and on hospital grounds. According to regulations, the hospital has placed signs, banners, and logos prohibiting smoking everywhere, including in the restrooms; and has security guards check to promptly detect and remind. However, there are still times and places where people who come to see a doctor or take care of patients secretly smoke on hospital grounds.

"The hospital is large, there are many patients, the security team is only enough to serve the main activities of the hospital, I just hope that people coming to the hospital are aware of not smoking so that the hospital can have fresh air" - Dr. Ngo Duc Tuan expressed.

Smoking in public places and in places where smoking is prohibited is still rampant everywhere. It is not difficult to see smokers puffing away in places where smoking is prohibited. Vice Chairman of Long Binh Ward People's Committee Tran Van Thang said that handling cases of smoking in prohibited places is very difficult.

In fact, some people are used to smoking and seeing others smoking, so few people report it to the ward. Or if they do report it, by the time the handling team arrives, the smoker is no longer there or has finished smoking, making it difficult to make a record. "To limit smoking in public places and places where smoking is prohibited, the ward has only increased its efforts to educate people about the harmful effects of smoking as well as the cost of money," said Mr. Thang.

Sharing with us the difficulties in handling violations of the 2012 Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control, Acting Head of the Bien Hoa City Health Department Tran Hung said that handling cases of smoking in public places is very difficult, because the smoking behavior of that person happens suddenly, quickly, and in an unfixed location. On the other hand, if the penalty is imposed according to the correct procedure, when the penalty team arrives, the violator not only has time to "dispose" of the cigarette butt, but may have already disappeared. Furthermore, the handling unit does not have enough human resources to arrange places to check, monitor, and detect violators for handling.

To improve efficiency and strengthen people's supervision, promptly receive and handle information reflecting violations of the 2012 Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control, the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund (Ministry of Health) has built and piloted the Vn0khoithuoc application (app on mobile phones), helping people reflect violations related to tobacco to authorities.

This application allows people to take and send images of violations of the 2012 Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms to the authorities for timely handling. However, this solution has not been effective, because not everyone has a smartphone or an internet connection to take and send images.

Faced with difficulties in dealing with smoking in public places, Mr. Tran Hung said: “There are two solutions, the first is to increase propaganda to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and the benefits of a smoke-free environment in agencies and households; the second is to increase the price of each pack of cigarettes by 3-4 times, this will make smokers consider, from there they can gradually reduce and eventually quit smoking because it is too expensive. However, the most important thing is still the awareness of smokers about their own health, their family and the community”.

Phuong Lieu

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