The World Heath Organization (WHO) has criticized Poland for its ineffective anti-smoking campaigns, half-hearted legislation and selling cigarettes too cheaply.
WHO representatives visited Poland recently to check how central and local government are trying to reduce the number of smokers in the country. They met with politicians, scientists and health care workers in several cities and concluded that smoking prevention policy in Poland has not been sufficient and a stricter smoking-ban law should be implemented.
The WHO accuses Poland of not having spent enough money on smoking prevention. According to EU standards, the government should annually devote 0.5 per cent of excise tax revenue from cigarette sales on such campaigns. But instead of spending 65 million zloty (15 million euro) on anti-smoking campaigns, Polish authorities have coughed up just 230,000 euro.
Cigarettes in Poland are too cheap and too easily accessible. “Only in Bulgaria are prices of tobacco products lower than in Poland,” says Anna Koziel from the Polish branch of WHO, quoted in Gazeta Wyborcza.
WHO criticizes a draft bill on a smoking ban in public places, to come in to force next year, arguing that it should be more restrictive.
According to the bill, smoking would be banned in all workplaces, as well as hospitals, schools, universities, railway stations, airports and bus stops and within 10-metre radius of designated non-smoking areas.
It will be illegal to smoke in private cars if passengers include children or people who pay for transport. Pubs and clubs will be allowed to choose whether they want to allow smoking on the premises. If they decide to admit smokers, they will have to provide separate smoking rooms for them with the doors that close automatically.
“WHO representatives did not like the idea of creating smoking and no-smoking rooms in restaurants, opting for a total ban on smoking in such venues,” says Aleksander Soplinski, head of parliamentary commission on public health.
WHO is to publish a report on smoking prevention in Poland in a month which will be forwarded to the Polish Health Ministry and Parliament. (mg)