Wednesday 16 May 2012

Dutch smoking ban warded off in court

Dutch anti-smoking ban campaigners were successful yesterday in maintaining the advantage they have gained in exemptions to the smoking ban. This report says that not only is smoking in small bars legal, but smoking is largely carried out in larger bars too.

No doubt ban enthusiasts would say that this is because there is an exemption in small bars, and that only a comprehensive ban can be fully enforced. But the exemption was gained in the first place because of widespread and well organised opposition.

Sorry for Marc Willemsen, who wishes to turn the tide back in the antis' favour. (But not very sorry.)

2 comments:

Nannystate said...

It is complete bollocks to state those ashtrays have returned after the legal exemption for small pubs without staff.
They returned after en masse very shortly after the legal victories
of Victoria and de Kachel.
The Dutch Hoge Raad(sort of supreme court) eventually overturned those decisions , thereby reinstating the full smoking ban but this never resulted in the disappearance of the ashtrays .
The legal exemption went into effect about a year after the ruling of the Hoge Raad.

Ivan D said...

I visit The Netherlands regularly and can confirm that the smoking ban was ignored in many bars and even restaurants before the small bars gained exemption. The anti tobacco industry are lying yet again. I have no sympathy for people like Willemsen or, for that matter, small minded autocratic zealots in general.