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Smoking Ban In Public Places Essay

The government has published new regulations to control tobacco, banning smoking inside all government buildings, private restaurants, cafes, teashops and social spaces. The regulation prohibits smoking at Rehabilitation Centres, children’s parks and places frequently visited by children, aboard ferries and ferry terminals and at any place where people have to wait in a queue to obtain services. According to the new regulation places such as cafes and restaurants that want to have smoking allowed will have to apply for permission from the Ministry of Health. The permission will be granted to places determined by the Ministry. Any person who smokes in an area determined to be non-smoking can be fined to MVR 500 (US$32) and the owner of a place that allows smoking in such places without authority can be fined MVR 1000 (US$64) according to the regulation.

The regulation states that if the owner of the premises has not put up the sign board to inform that smoking inside the place is disallowed, the ministry has the authority to fine the venue MVR 500 first time and MVR 5000 (US$3200) on further occasions. The Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) estimates that the 44 percent of the total population use tobacco, mainly by smoking. According to the Maldives Demography and Health Survey (MDHS) 2009, 42 percent of people in the age group 20-24 are smokers while 20 percent of 15-19 years age group smoke.

Customs data shows that in 2010 alone 346 million cigarettes were imported into the Maldives at a cost of MVR 124 million (US$8 million) – a disproportionate figure considering the 350,000 populace. In 2009, MVR 110 million was spent to import 348 million cigarettes – mostly included well-known brands such as Marlborough, Camel, and Mild Seven. The first President of the Maldives Ameen Didi, who assumed office in 1953, banned tobacco in the Maldives. However, people were outraged over this decision and a group of rebellious citizens overthrew his government and lynched Didi in the street.

The government has published new ordinances for to control tobacco use, banning smoking cigs inside all government edifices, private restaurants, cafes and other public places. The law bans smoking tobacco at Rehabilitation Centers, kids’ parks and spaces often visited by kids, aboard passages and at any area where inhabitants have to wait in a line to receive services.

According to the new legislation areas such as cafes and restaurants that want to have cigarettes smoking inside will have to request for authorization from the Ministry of Health. The license will be conferred to spaces regulated by the state Ministry.

Read on to learn the advantages of banning smoking in public areas: * Non-smokers can be saved from being exposed to the hazards of secondhand smoke. * Public smoking can influence the minds of children and teens. * Smoking bans can make it difficult for people to find a suitable place to smoke. This can dishearten them and make them think about quitting smoking for good. * Now, smoking has become legally wrong. This can dissuade youngsters from starting smoking. * Bars, pubs and discotheques are now much healthier places sans cigarette smoke. * Heart patients can breathe freely without worrying about being exposed to toxic secondhand smoke.

Smoking Ban Cons

Now, take a look at the disadvantages of public smoking bans: * Governments make plenty of profits from cigarette sales. This amount could reduce because of the ban. * Many smokers have to taken to evading the ban and smoking on the sly. * Many pubs, cafes and restaurants have lost patrons because of the smoking ban. In fact, many employees in these establishments have even lost their jobs. * Many youngsters have started smoking just because smoking is banned. They do so because of the attraction of the forbidden object. * Smoking bans have caused many smokers to experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritation and loss of concentration. This can become a cause of workplace and domestic hassles.

innocent people wont get cancer if exposed a lot to it disadvantages smokers feel their rights have been taken away from them. thats just the main ones i am sure theirs hundreeds more.


more people will start dealing illegally creating more crime and if anything a smoke ban will mean more is sent out and more people do things behind the back of others. it will create another major item for the black market which will obviously become very expensive as it is an illegal product.

could even lead to serious protests/riots disadvantages

There are no arguments to make against the health risks of smoking, but combating the issue with a public ban introduces a whole other set of problems. Since smoking is already banned in a number of public locations, opponents of public smoking bans argue that the decision must lie with the owners of businesses, not with local or state governments.

Hurts Businesses

* The hospitality industry, namely bars and restaurants, is impacted negatively by smoking bans. A smoking ban has the potential to lower the demand patrons have for these public venues, which cuts into the profit the businesses make. If the financial problems grow large enough, this can lead to some businesses closing, costing employees their jobs in the process. If the demand for smoke-free bars and restaurants was high, logic dictates that more of them would exist, negating the need for a smoking ban.

Government Hypocrisy

* The high taxes on cigarettes make them an expensive purchase for customers, and one that greatly benefits the country financially. Opponents of smoking bans feel that it’s an act of hypocrisy to profit off of cigarettes but also deliver strict orders that they are not allowed to use the product in public places.

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