Research done in Krakow, Poland’s cafe capital, claims that the recently introduced smoking ban in Poland has been judged a success for the public‘s health.

New laws on smoking in public places were introduced in November 2010. Besides an outright ban on puffing at the workplace, bars and restaurants were forced to eliminate smoking totally on premises, unless an entirely partitioned room was introduced, with the additional air-conditioning.

The MANKO student association questioned both 400 employees of Krakow venues, as well as over a thousand members of the public.

According to the analysis, 73.9 percent of employees supported the ban, whilst 48.3 percent have perceived an improvement in their health.

Similarly, the group claims that 68 percent of smoking customers support the  new measures, likewise 84 percent of non-smokers.

Research also throws light on the question of whether businesses have suffered as a result of the ban.

The group claims that the frequency of people visiting cafes and restaurants has increased since the changes.

Magdalena Petryniuk, a coordinator of the campaign Lokal Bez Papierosa (Venue without Cigarettes), which is affiliated to MANKO, said at a press conference that all bodes well.

‘We hope that in the long-term this will bring an improvement to people’s health. Similar research conducted in the United States proves that the number of heart attacks has fallen by 30 percent. We hope that the same will follow in our country,” she said. (nh/pg)

Source: PAP