The study seems to have been conducted in countries where people obey
the law. This is not necessarily the case in all cultures, especially the
Middle East. In Israel, public places and workplaces used to have
"smoking" and "non-smoking" sections. Then a law was passed to forbid
smoking in all public places. But it is a nationally enacted municipal
bylaw. Police have no power of arrest, or even the power to give a
summons. The municipal government has the responsibility of enforcement,
but there is no effective way to put in a complaint. So now -- rather than
having "smoking" and "no smoking" areas -- people smoke everywhere.
I am also not sure that it is a mark of human decency to enforce
smoking bans in all cases. Obviously people "shouldn't" smoke in
hospitals. But when a family has just been called in to an ICU because a
loved one has just been in a serious accident, is this the time to try to
force them to stop smoking? It could be pretty cruel.
One alternative which might be considered is the Japanese practice of
installing smoke-inhalation machines in or near public places. They are
common in Japanese universities. The smoker stands near such a machine,
and the machine draws in and filters the smokey air.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
29 July 2002
Frank J Leavitt
Chairman, Centre for Asian and International Bioethics,
Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, ISRAEL
Rapid Response:
Can smoking bans be enforced?
The study seems to have been conducted in countries where people obey
the law. This is not necessarily the case in all cultures, especially the
Middle East. In Israel, public places and workplaces used to have
"smoking" and "non-smoking" sections. Then a law was passed to forbid
smoking in all public places. But it is a nationally enacted municipal
bylaw. Police have no power of arrest, or even the power to give a
summons. The municipal government has the responsibility of enforcement,
but there is no effective way to put in a complaint. So now -- rather than
having "smoking" and "no smoking" areas -- people smoke everywhere.
I am also not sure that it is a mark of human decency to enforce
smoking bans in all cases. Obviously people "shouldn't" smoke in
hospitals. But when a family has just been called in to an ICU because a
loved one has just been in a serious accident, is this the time to try to
force them to stop smoking? It could be pretty cruel.
One alternative which might be considered is the Japanese practice of
installing smoke-inhalation machines in or near public places. They are
common in Japanese universities. The smoker stands near such a machine,
and the machine draws in and filters the smokey air.
Competing interests: No competing interests