7,729 booked for ignoring smoking ban

G. Mangion

Mar 17th 2010, 18:28

What about SMOKING Cars, trucks, Buses, ???.

RGatt

Mar 17th 2010, 11:36

Only 7,729. You've got to be kidding. It's obvious that's a ridiculously low amount. What are the ones who are supposed to see laws are abided to doing all day.

stopsmokinghabits

Mar 17th 2010, 04:24

i agree,smoking is really bad to our health better start now.Here is another valuable resource for those who prefer to quit smoking:http://www.stopsmokinghabits.com

-stopsmokinghabits-

Julian Esposito

Mar 16th 2010, 23:20

@w.scicluna Oh my God! You can't possibly be serious!

w.scicluna

Mar 16th 2010, 21:11

You people are all complaining about smokers and how they ruin our health. Maybe you have never wondered what we thing about you. We don't nag you about not smoking so quit nagging us. You will find smokers wherever you go...even simply in streets. So if you don't like it, well just stay at home and quit the BS. You got your bars, restaurants and laws against smoking. Soon you'll be wanting us not to smoke at home or anywhere. The last person who was invited to my home complained about the smell. Well what I told him in pure maltese applies to others too!

S Atlamyob

Mar 16th 2010, 19:03

A pathetic start, but a start anyway. @P Barrett, Read a book, visit a friend, jog, volunteer your services, pick up cigarette butts from the streets, beaches, hotel fire escapes, elementary schools and day care centers, learn to cook a healthy meal for you, your wife, girl friend, or dog and take them out to a healthy dinner at one of the wonderful Indian or Kiwi owned restaurants in and around town, and get a life. You live on what could be an island paradise, not Coronation Street. @P Graham, A public place is a public place... See above for other ideas one could do to regain or start living a life instead of an existence.

Juda T. Azzopardi

Mar 16th 2010, 18:13

The only way this abuse is going to stop is by holding the owner of the facility responsible, he/she should be the one fined and if that fails then close their doors. As we all know and with all the scientific evidece provided these days "SMOKING KILLS" and why should I and now the majority of non smokers put up with someone else's dirty habit? The law is the law and with no exceptions, the government has to put the foot down and say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" Look at the bright side, all the money that is generated and collected from al the fines will go towards the healthcare system. Someone has to pay for all the damage second hand smoke causes and that should be the smoker.

Kirill Micallef Stafrace

Mar 16th 2010, 17:45

well, that is a PATHETIC number. You are guaranteed to book that amount in a month if the law was upheld in places of entertainment and Mater Dei Hospital, let alone in almost 6 years. Somebody is not doing his job here.

E. Azzopardi

Mar 16th 2010, 17:13

I must say that this law is really being enforced!! Where health is concerned there are no compromises and thefore people MUST not smoke and then fined.

Luke Scicluna

Mar 16th 2010, 14:39

The problem is they don't care about their own health, much less about a fine!

Christian Camilleri

Mar 16th 2010, 14:20

Booked Booked Bla Bla .. Then Last Weekend I Saw About 3 Police One Of them A Female near Klozet Club, Smoking And Drinking Just Outside The Doors Of the Club ! So They Can Ignore The Law Because They Are In Uniform And We Then, Have to Suffer The Consequences Because We Are Normal People !

Mark Anthony Tagliaferro

Mar 16th 2010, 13:48

Way too few. Bars are still full of people smoking to the extent of ending up with my eyes watering. Taking the responsability away from the bar owners means they don't care. It is unfair that people with respiratory problems like asthma cannot go out and enjoy themselves because of the selfishness of others.
If you want to kill yourself with smoking go ahead... why must you kill me too?

A. Borg

Mar 16th 2010, 12:55

Jekk tmur sa South m'hemmx hanut wiehed li ma dhaltx fih u ma sibtx in-nies ippejpu. Issir enfazi f'Paceville imbaghad kull hanut li hawn fl-irhula kollha jsir it-tipjiep go fihom inkluz il-kazini tal-Baned u gieli jkunu bieb u ghatba l-boghod mill-ghassa!

Julian Esposito

Mar 16th 2010, 12:25

It would have been more like 77,290 had there been enough enforcement. I appeal to the police to do more, to book the presumptuous, arrogant persons who insist on blatantly smoking indoors with total disregard of others. If I can see them doing it, why aren't the authorities?

Joe Micallef

Mar 16th 2010, 11:54

Let them smoke put this way the government need money so the moor smokes they sell the moor money he makes from tax plus the fines so the government must be happy at least somebody is happy.we are only hear for a couple of decades any way and whatever you have you leave it behind you and all the relatives come rubbing their hands to see what they are going to take.so enjoy life as much as you can and don't worry about what others do.

C Cassar

Mar 16th 2010, 11:50

A good incentive to stop people in smoking illegally is after the 3rd time caught, they are stripped of their right to any free medical services (including those of immediate family). Instead thet are charged full private rates for a minimum period of 3 years. Caught once more and then no free medical service for life. As usual, the only the "steel toe-capped boot" approach will be effective with suc antisocial people.

J Bugeja

Mar 16th 2010, 11:33

Dont agree with this ban in bars and in clubs.....people who dont smoke cant understand smokers. there should be smoking bars and non smoking bars or at least the place should be divided in a smoking and non smoking area. Nowadays, smokers are being considered as second class citizens and dont have any say about their rights. The price of the fine is already too high in my opinion compared to our wages...better get control of those drug dealers who are selling drugs to all our children which is withouth doubt a much more serious problem in our country!!!!

JOHN PISANI

Mar 16th 2010, 11:31

"DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO".... Why??? Just a quick jump at the cafeteria used by some of the members of parliament at the Palace close to where the Parliament meets and most of the time the ashtrays are full of cigarette butts and the smell of smoke can be smelt from the corridor. Imma.. min jikkmanda jaghmel il-ligi u mhux bilfors irid jobdiha.

harley rider

Mar 16th 2010, 11:29

Field studies of environmental tobacco smoke indicate that under normal conditions, the components in tobacco smoke are diluted below existing Permissible Exposure Levels (PELS.) as referenced in the Air Contaminant Standard (29 CFR 1910.1000)...It would be very rare to find a workplace with so much smoking that any individual PEL would be exceeded." -Letter From Greg Watchman, Acting Sec'y, OSHA, To Leroy J Pletten, PHD, July 8, 1997

Paul Barrett

Mar 16th 2010, 11:28

The main reason I have virtually stopped going to bars and restaurants in the winter months now is because of this smoking ban, and if I do go, it is for the absolute minimum of time. I get no enjoyment in just watching people get drunk and what else is there to do if you can't smoke.

P.Graham

Mar 16th 2010, 11:24

Isn't the answer here to allow establishments who wish to offer smoking areas licenses to do so?

The venue is then advertised as such and non smokers can avoid those venues.

Steve Rogers

Mar 16th 2010, 11:06

According to the high number of bookings obviously the current employment of enforcement is failing. Start booking bars and shutting them down!

Mela hekk sew hanut ibigh borza ta plastic lesti li nalquh imma bar le.

d gauci

Mar 16th 2010, 10:51

....and yet paceville nightclubs, bars and pubs are full of people smoking!!

A. Schembri

Mar 16th 2010, 10:35

Eh. might sound high... but if one takes just the weekends ( ie Sat & Sun not Fri night ) from Mid Sept 2004 to End 2009, that will be around 275 weekends.... so around 28 people per weekend. Ignore all public places and focus just on Paceville. I do not feel this is very successful.

But at least it is 7729 people who hopefully learnt a lesson, hopefully!!

Mark Vella

Mar 16th 2010, 10:33

Tajjeb tajjeb, proset guys, alavolja jien xorta min 'certu' postijiet xorta nigi id dar ninten intiena ta sigaretti alavolja qatt ma missejt sigarett wiehed hajti kolla (u qatt m'jien ha mmiss wiehed). Pero proset proset, proset lil min ipejjep gewwa xorta bla ma jimpurtah min nies ta madwaru, proset.

J. Darmanin

Mar 16th 2010, 10:29

roughly more than 1000 a year? - not very impressive really. i'm sure one could find at least 100 in one night.

jane deguara nee hughes

Mar 16th 2010, 10:28

well they need to check more places for sure, as there is still smoking going on in places. also our bus drivers in malta......

S. Fenech

Mar 16th 2010, 10:26

HUH! ARE YOU JOKING!?

I think you meant ONLY 7,729 fines were made for people found smoking in public!!!

I went to a bar @ Waterfront a couple of months back and half the people in that bar were smoking INSIDE, around the bar and on the dance floor. Even the dj and bouncers were smoking. I ended up deciding to leave as the air was just a smoke cloud.

And what about the teenagers?? Have a look on facebook. Children UNDER 16 smoking and drinking alcohol in bars.... even in Paceville, where the police surveillance is supposedly to be stricter.

Can't CID police do these inspections? I think the number of persons fined would double.

Ivan Cassar

Mar 16th 2010, 10:24

Good news but there is much more that can be done. Keep it up.

Emmanuel Caruana

Mar 16th 2010, 10:22

The fines should be increased. When my wife was pregnant we went to a bar in Bugibba. She could not stay there because there were a number of people smoking inside. When I spoke to the owner he told me I could ask them to stop smoke but if they continue I cannot do anything about it. It is not fair as my wife has the right to be there to have a non alcoholic drink while catching up with some friends. Now that I have the kid most probably I cannot go to a number of places to avoid second hand smoking for him. Not fair at all. If people keeps on smoking in indoor places higher fines should be introduced.

D Spiteri

Mar 16th 2010, 10:21

It's clearly not enough. people are still smoking in public places, this figure can be reached annually.

M.Cardona

Mar 16th 2010, 10:17

That's a lot of money !