Editorial

It may come as a surprise to many people, and bar and restaurant owners in particular, to learn that the overwhelming majority of smokers in this country think that the controversial regulations banning smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants, is "necessary".

According to the latest survey carried out on behalf of The Sunday Times by Professor Mario Vassallo, and reported in this issue, no less than 71.8 per cent of smokers favour the ban. It goes without saying that support for it among non-smokers is almost total - 95.6 per cent.

This shows, more than anything else perhaps, that everyone, smokers included, are aware of the harmful effects of smoking and of the unfairness of inflicting those harmful effects on non-smokers around them, especially in closed spaces, through "passive smoking" - the deadly effects of which have been pooh-poohed by the GRTU, the tobacco lobby and some smokers and owners of catering and entertainment establishments.

Even more surprising, perhaps, is the overwhelming support for a law banning the sale of cigarettes to minors (a plebiscitarian 97 per cent) and for the carrying of strong graphic health warnings on cigarette packets (supported by a just as overwhelming 93.3 per cent) to shock users into giving up the deadly habit.

Inveterate smokers perhaps would hardly be put off by such warnings (showing, among other things, the effects of cancer on a smoker's lungs and throat), but they could prove to be enough of a deterrent for those who are inclined to take up the habit, especially the young.

Although we can expect a further increase in excise duty on cigarettes now that Budget Day is near, which would raise much-needed additional revenue for the government, there is no doubt that the country as a whole, and particularly the government, would be much better off, if only in financial terms. No amount of revenue from taxation on cigarettes and other tobacco products can compensate for the country's outlay on hospital and medical care to deal with cancer and other ailments caused by smoking.

Not to mention, of course, the daily expense incurred by the 23.4 per cent of the population who in our survey identified themselves as smokers. Almost a quarter of them spend between Lm5 and Lm10 a week on their puffing habit; a very high 16.9 per cent spend between Lm10 and Lm15 a week; almost 10 per cent spend between Lm15 and Lm20 a week, while 5.6 per cent spend over Lm20 a week - money which literally goes up in smoke!

The ban on smoking in public places, which Malta should feel honoured to be among the first countries in the world to introduce, is gradually being followed in other countries around the world. Here, although they had more than six months' notice about its coming into effect, owners of bars and restaurants complained that they needed more time. In any case, many of them still complain that they have seen a drop in business, also because patrons have to go out onto the street to smoke, and while there, they naturally do not order drinks from the bar, unless they take them with them.

Well, all these people must realise that finally Government is getting serious about safeguarding public health and above all, about encouraging healthy habits. The only thing is that unfortunately, as in many other instances in this blessed island of ours, the best of intentions often get shipwrecked on the reef of non-enforcement.

Indeed, our survey shows that less than half those surveyed think that the smoking ban is being observed. Almost 40 per cent say it is not always observed, while 4.3 per cent think it is never observed.

Clearly, better enforcement is needed here. However, as regards the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors, a clear law is needed, followed by strict enforcement. Many foreigners find it shocking, to say the least, to see Paceville late on a summer night, say 3 a.m., crawling with smokers and drinkers as young as 14 or 15. For certain young tourists, especially those from Scandinavian countries where the sale of alcohol to minors is strictly controlled, Paceville must be the acme of libertinism.

No wonder that 87 per cent of respondents in our survey believe that police should be empowered to pick up minors caught in specific places after a certain time and take them home. Exposure to unbridled smoking and drinking (surely a most unhealthy cocktail) at a young age can be conducive to dangerous and criminal activity.