Ariadne Massa
Malta smoking ban fails to stub out heart disease
We are shocked over smoking ban results
The smoking ban may have led to a decrease in the heart disease death rate and hospital admissions in every country where it was introduced, but it has had absolutely no impact in Malta, a medical study has revealed.
From Italy, where heart attacks dropped by 11 per cent after it banned smoking in public places, to Montana where the decline was a whopping 40 per cent, every country registered an improvement.
“We were shocked and disappointed with Malta’s results, especially since the island was the second country in Europe to introduce the smoking ban,”cardiologist Robert Xuereb told The Sunday Times.
“Seeing that international studies all showed a reduction in heart attacks and smoking-related deaths, we assumed we’d find a drop in Malta too – to our surprise there was absolutely no change in the figures,” he added.
The findings were recently presented to the European Society of Cardiology Congress, which was held in Paris and attended by a record 32,946 participants from across the globe.
The paper, titled ‘The Smoking Ban: The Malta Paradox’, looked at figures for cardiovascular deaths and hospital admissions due to a heart attack five years beforeMalta introduced the ban in April 2004, and compared these with five years later – there was no change in either the admission or mortality rates.
Dr Xuereb pointed out that, unfortunately, it was public knowledge that the smoking ban in Malta was not properly enforced.
Figures show police have been attempting to crack down on smoking in public places – the number of people charged was just 19 in 2004, but this soared to 2,567 in 2009. However, it is clear not enough is being done and the €233 fine that is slapped on a first offender does not seem to deter smokers from lighting up.
“We suspect owners of nightclubs, band clubs and places of entertainment are not ensuring the law is enforced for fear oflosing out on their business,”Dr Xuereb said.
His argument is backed by an exercise carried out by The Sunday Times in February 2010 when 14 bars in Paceville were visited over two evenings to witness how smoking restrictions were being enforced – revellers were smoking with impunity and on one occasion included a bartender and a police officer in uniform.
This raises the question whether the government’s decision to extend the ban to all public places from 2013 – it will be illegal to smoke anywhere inside a public place, including designated areas – will have any significance for Malta’s premier nightlife district.
Dr Xuereb believes the fear entrepreneurs keep bandying about that business will suffer as a consequence of banning smoking does not hold.
He referred to a study in Italy in 2009 that looked into the impact the smoking ban had on bars, cafes, and restaurants.
It showed 10 per cent of Italians were frequenting these places more often, compared with seven per cent who went less frequently.
This was a clear sign people preferred to be in a smoke-free environment and health authorities had to be made aware of this as businesses tended to pander for just a third of the population who were smokers.
The impact of second-hand smoke is often underestimated. Dr Xuereb referred to a 1992 study by the American Heart Association showing those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home had their risk of death due to heart disease increase by approximately 30 per cent.
“Maltese authorities were among the first to introduce the ban in Europe and they deserve a pat on the back for this, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the results,” Dr Xuereb said.
He is urging authorities to take bolder decisions that restrict smoking in places such as cars, in stadiums, public gardens and on beaches.
Were such measures not too drastic? And if there was so much environmental pollution, why was all the focus on smoking?
“True, pollution is a major health risk and action should be taken, but equally we need to reduce the impact of tobacco on non-smokers – smokers are a health hazard to non-smokers,” he said.
Malta will not be the pioneer if it adopts what Dr Xuereb is recommending, and other countries are now more ahead of the game. In May, New York introduced a smoking ban in Central Park, and last year Venice decided smokers could no longer light up at city beaches and parks.
Just last week, the British Medical Association called for all smoking to be banned in cars across the UK to protect people, especially the young whowere more vulnerable, fromsecond-hand smoke.
Dr Xuereb believes the situation in Malta is “very sad”, especially since cardiologists believe smoking-related “heart attacks can not only be prevented but eradicated”.
The team involved in this research include: Sandra Distefano, Neville Calleja, Victor Grech, Kathleen England, Miriam Gatt, Joseph Cacciottolo and Stephen Fava.
The facts
32% of men and 21% of women in Malta are smokers.
Of the smokers, 72% usually smoke 20 cigarettes a day; 20% smoke between 20 and 40; and 2.5% smoke more than 40cigarettes a day.
Passive smoking is highest in entertainment places (28%),followed by the workplace/school (24%) and at home (20%).
The proportion of 15-year-olds who smoke in Malta is higher than that of countries such as Italy and England – 10% of boys and 14% of girls.
Source: The 2008 European Health Interview Survey.
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Christina Pace
Nov 28th 2011, 15:16
The only way other countries can claim that the smoking ban was directly linked to decreased number of heart patients is if the same countries kept the other relevant variables constant (exercise, nutrition, stress, pollution, substance abuse, population age statistics, employment). I highly boubt they did that. Just like I doubt a base line was measured for these variables to begin with, both in Malta and other countries.
Mario Desira
Nov 28th 2011, 15:06
Why shocked? It is a well known fact that smoking continues unabated in public places and the police turn a blind eye. Since its inception the bar owners objected to the ban under the unofficial GRTU Wealth before Health stance -meant bars turned a blind eye to smoking in places in entertainment. Many continue to frequent such bars while a some like me vote with their feet and stopped going to such places of ‘entertainment’.
There is nothing entertaining about dying of lung cancer, even if it is years or decades in the future. But young people operate in a semi-immortal mindset so do not usually think along these lines.
The biggest tragedy is the law courts. A person carrying drugs is imprisoned for several years and heftily fined. A person who imposes passive smoke on others escapes scott free.
Drug abusers die at most a handful a year, while 3 people on average die due to lung disease every single day. The bottom line is a glaringly inconsistent scenario!
Julie Russell
Nov 28th 2011, 12:38
I stopped smoking as soon as i found out i was pregnant with my first child, i stopped the habit for 19 years.
As soon as i came back to Malta, i started up again. I blamed it on stress and worrying about everything. I want to stop for my family's sake. I fully agree about the smoking in public places, it's not nice if someone doesn't smoke and i only do in my garden. There are other ways to kick the habit by concentrating on other things or do
some extra activities. Smoking does kill and it should never control you life, it's too short.
JOE ZAHRA
Nov 28th 2011, 12:07
The smoking ban is a joke , every bar and club is breaking it .It so stupidat even policemen light up in clubs and bars. Who ever dreamed to in force was taking the proverable PPPPPPPPPP
Mr Henry Borg
Nov 28th 2011, 11:32
Smoking ban my a**! Every club and bar is filled up with smoke, its disgusting..but the police are more interested in other stuff when checking! Xmisthija..some respect for the non smokers!
Maria Whitehead
Nov 28th 2011, 11:26
The self estinguishing cigarettes, photos of disease on packaging and an increase to EUR 10 per packet came into effect in Australia over two years ago. Smoking is also banned in all public places, beaches, parks and popular promenades as well as areas known to be frequented by young children. Smoking in a vehicle whilst transporting children under the age of 16 is also illegal. Currently laws are being drafted to ban smoking in public altogether and vendors may not display cigarettes , promotional material or even signs to show they sell cigarettes. Plain packaging is also coming into effect. This coming about in a country were no cigarette vending machines exist and cigarettes are hard to come by to purchase. The law is enforced and greatly respected too. Whilst all of the above has certainly helped greatly, I have also noticed a new trend. Youngsters now buy fancy cigarette boxes to hold their expensive cigarettes, which if you can afford ... is a show of wealth between peers. Ultimately, the only way to combat this addiction is education and perseverance on the individual's end.
Bill Cox
Nov 28th 2011, 11:04
My father was a smoker. Died of lung cancer aged 59 in 1953 . He had 6 children, then 19 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren. Today 58 years later none of his family smoke.
My house is smoke free and so are the houses of all my relatives. May Our Lord bless my father for creating a smoke free family.
I recently obtained his death certificate and it shows " DIED OF LUNG CANCER "
C Pisani
Nov 28th 2011, 10:50
This articles highlights 1 very well known fact in Malta. Laws are NOT enforced, and we Maltese just LOVE breaking the law, its in our DNA (probably). I used to smoke and I used to work in Paceville when the ban was introduced. It was tough and people just wouldn't give a damn about the law and light up anyway. Unfortunately unless laws are enforced and the law courts back up the police with PROPER justice, and the good ideas/intentions will be lost, such as this.
To the Maltese people in general, the laws are there for your own good. Breaking them just to be cool, is definitely NOT COOL. Grow up
Joe Xuereb
Nov 28th 2011, 10:35
I gave up heavy smoking twice in the past ten years. And I did not go to NHS courses that purport to kick the habit. I did not wear patches or resort to faux-cigarettes. I did it by understanding the nature of addiction, the why, the wherefore. I am now smoking again due to stress resulting from the indifference of others 'in high places'. I will quit again.
I sit on public benches, reading a newspapers, minding my own business. Young people asking me for a ciggie or a light is a constant. I ask myself, why do most young people these days smoke? The answer is that they have 'funny' jobs with no career prospects, no security. And of course they are often unemployed and unemployable. Hence, here in London, we get riots and the criminally-inclined, loot. Not to mention the protesters against capitalism outside St. Paul's Cathedral, vilified for their efforts. Welcome to the modern age.
I think I have said enough about smoking that kills but then, so does stress. And stress causes the crime rate to rise. And often people suffering from stress take it out on themselves and end it all.
Enforce the smoking-ban by all means but people will continue to die for a number of reasons, including smoking. But not only.
Governments are heavily invested in the production, and selling, of cigarettes. Token gestures like banning advertising does not work as smoking is seen as a relaxant, which it is not. Children smoke because they want to appear to be grown up and look at their elders to copy (children ask me for a cigarette and when challenged because of their age, they say their mum and dad smoke too. And they get 'aggressive' when I refuse the 'demand for a ciggie'. As I said, sign of the times. Fix it. Governments can do much but do not.
Christian Sciberras
Nov 28th 2011, 09:57
WAIT!
There's a smoking ban in Malta??
(/sarcasm)
EUGENIO TALIANA
Nov 28th 2011, 09:07
While I fully agree with those criticising this nasty habit, I must say that I've been on and off this habit myself . . . the reason why . . . I cannot explain myself . . . my point in writing this email is the following: since about a month ago, to be correct since the 1st of November some shops have been charging €4.20 per packet of cigarette while others, until budget day were still charging €4.00 (Dunhill blue light); since budget day, the morrow after, that is, those who were charging €4.20 increased the price to €4.40 whilst the others increased theirs to €4.20 - who is right? what is the actual price, in reality, of this brand of cigarettes? Are the shops abusing or is it free for all?
Eugenio Taliana
John Scerri
Nov 28th 2011, 09:36
The actual price is tax payers money of over 5000 euro per patient for medicines and procedures to deal with smoking related deseases so the higher the price of cigarettes goes the better .
I would also suggest that those who smoke are obliged to pay more insurance contributions during the period in which they smoke , hence being more prone to heart and lung deseases.
Christina Pace
Nov 28th 2011, 08:49
I have seem a decrease in people smoking in publics venues but I honestly think that the expected drop in heart problems in Malta would be better obtained through more intensive holistic health campaign: exercise, eating healthy and not smoking. With all the pastizzi and deep-pan oil-soaked pizzas sold every day, burgers, donuts, salty snacks and acohol consumed by people daily and the lack of exercise is more directly linked to high blood pressure and heart desease in this country than smoking.
kenny greenan
Nov 28th 2011, 07:51
I am SHOCKEDthat an intelligent man like Dr. Xuereb is SHOCKED that there has been no impact on heart disease.
He only has to walk into any bar or club in Malta to see there is no ENFORCED smoking ban in Malta.
The best you get, from the more thoughtful smokers, is that they wander near the door, usually inside it, with all the toxic fumes blowing into the bar.
I would say WAKE UP & SMELL THE COFFEE, but I think WAKE UP & SMELL THE SMOKE instead.
Kenny Greenan
Mr Sandro Cremona
Nov 28th 2011, 09:23
You are so right !!!! enforcement is a joke to the detrement of non smokers. But that is normal in Malta. I learnt to live with it. The par idejn soda is round my neck!!
John Scerri
Nov 28th 2011, 07:47
Until registering unemployed, students, and minimum wage earners can still afford to pay over 3 euro a day for a pack of cigarettes Malta will never hace the expected results .
The Price must go up to at least double or 1euro per cigarette in order to make one acquire the will power of abandoning the Filthy Habit . The photos on the boxes are there for nothing.
TOUCH the smokers' pocket ...that will make the effect.
The smoking ban should be extended to out door places where crowds are gathered ...footbal grounds, open theatres, shopping malls bay street complex should be smoke free.
Its so ironic to see people dressed up in thier best cloths and emptying a bottle of perfume on themselves when they puff away into their filthy blocked lungs .
James Wightman
Nov 28th 2011, 07:40
oooh wonder if its exercise?
Charles Caruana Carabez
Nov 28th 2011, 07:39
I am not surprised that owners turn a blind eye for fear of losing customers; aren't governments doing the same, in a way? Moral coherence would make them ban cigarettes, but they won't, for fear of losing a hefty amount of income derived from tax. Of course the boys from Brussels would say that the Prohibition years did not eradicate alcoholism from the USA, and in fact created other evils. So, the only solution is to make it ever harder, ever more expensive to indulge in smoking, while governments secretly hope people will still smoke. Talk about having the cake and the money too!
MaryJo Camenzuli
Nov 28th 2011, 07:27
So we have the results of a scientific study that clearly shows that the smoking ban in places of entertainment has NOT worked.
Despite the fact that it did NOT work, they want MORE: a smoking ban in ALL public spaces including the BEACH and PUBLIC GARDENS.
Behold the NEW COMMUNISM!
.
Mario Cutajar
Nov 28th 2011, 07:25
I think we should start from school children. Children should 'teach' thier own parents not to smoke in cars and at home. Making laws and not enforcing them is of now use!
Anthony Mifsud Bonnici Giordani
Nov 28th 2011, 07:03
I was 26 yrs old when I stopped smoking after 10 yrs from when I lit my first cigarette. How did it all happen? Simply because a true friend gave me the option of choosing between smoking cigarettes and being his friend. I chose my friend. Determination must be first and foremost. It is not easy as it wasn't easy for me but I succeeded and today after 35 years of quitting smoke I still feel good and full of energy. My family got my good example and no one smokes. Everything leads by example. I BURN the money saved from cigarettes by traveling abroad. YOU that smoke have to do double your effort to travel abroad. Thank you my friend for making me quit this bad habit.
Mark Cocker
Nov 28th 2011, 06:20
Unfortunately this statistic proves the Maltese custom.. we commission studies and legislate, but by time the authorities seem to slacken or give up to 'pressures'.
All of us know that the tobacco industry is a source of easy income to the goverment, but to the detriment of us non-smokers.. or should I say, we passive-smokers!!
The small increase in price each year seems to be of negligible effect, so I propose a huge rise.. €50 a packet!! This will discourage new smokers and increase goverment income to all those who enjoy a smoke!!
Stephen Zammit
Nov 28th 2011, 05:34
Even the though the smoking ban might not be enforced as much as it should, today we can enjoy much more non smoking space inside bars then before, so the ban had an effect of limiting smoking inside even if only up to a certain extent. The fact that the smoking ban failed to have an effect the numbers does not necessarily point to bad enforcement of the ban because otherwise we would have had at least some improvement, not nothing. The fact that no improvement in health was registered implies that the ban wasn't a good enough solution to improve those numbers over 5 years. For example the ban could have had no effect on the number of cigarrettes being consumed because in Malta smokers still go outside every now and again to fullfill their habit even while they're at a bar or restaurant. We don't have a temperature problem and going out for a couple of minutes is socially acceptable here, unfortunately. I'm just hypothesising here, there could be other factors effecting the numbers. Whatever it is the smoke ban failed to achieved the numbers but don't blame it on enforcement, just try to get more numbers for a better understanding (e.g. check whether they're still consuming the same amounts or cigarettes) and try to find a better solution.
Robert Agius
Nov 28th 2011, 05:10
I don't smoke cigarettes but since I don't have a car and walk most of the time, it doesn't really matter cause the problem with passive smoking is not in bar or places of entertainment that one can avoid. It's the traffic and people who use cars who are the biggest problem really. Now, be careful to who your fingers are pointing to.
Mario Martinelli
Nov 27th 2011, 23:21
Unless police enforce laws and make it a point that people do not smoke in confined spaces, we will continue to be victims of passive smoking. Been to various clubs during the weekend and discovered that it is a complete farse cause people still smoke inside. POLICE and LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL PLEASE NOTE
Jennifer Grech
Nov 27th 2011, 23:17
YES i am a smoker, and i have been an asthmatic since the age of 9yrs well thats when i was diagnosed, i am 60yrs now and still asthmatic, my husband was a smoker and yet healthy, he gave up, he started putting on weight, he now has diabetes type 2, he got heavier and his cholostrel levels rose and i mean a high level, then came the third deadly silent decease high blood pressure, well since the age of 9yrs i cost the NHS my prescription asthma drugs, since giving up smoking my husband costs the NHS his diabetic meds, his cholosterel meds and his blood pressure meds along with his blood test for his diabetese, his foot clinic for his diabetese, his test for cholesterel and his tests for his blood pressure, i am a smoker and i know the dangers i am also still active, my hubby on the otherhand is a potatoe couch with the TV he spends more hours in front of it than the tasks he does around the house, he no sooner finnishes his meals then he is sneaking things out of the kitchen to nibble, he denys it but one minute they are in the cupboard the next they are gone and i never see it go only the wrappers in bin or tell tale bread crumbs left on side, even sandwiches are made with 3 slices of bread instead of 2 when he thinks i dont notice, yes smoking is bad but i dont cost the NHS anywhere near what my husband costs them,and what i have paid in to the NHS every week with my contribution of national insurance more than covers the cost of my monthly inhaler which is just over €6 privately but then again we get the cheap generic shit dont we which is cheaper
Mark Muscat
Nov 27th 2011, 22:55
I smoked for a number of years, but have given up with alot of help from nhs(as I live in uk)because I went for a check up and Iwas warned by my doctor of the risks. I needed to make a change so I did. I want to be alive in ten yers time and beyound.
Anyone and everyone can make the change.
Joe Xuereb
Nov 27th 2011, 21:17
If only 32% of Maltese men (and less than that among women), surely banning smoking from entertainment venues should not affect the patronage of such places as non-smokers will flock to 'clean-air' bars, etc.
Too many people are leading an inactive life and smoking while sitting down doing nothing much (TV, computer, reading, etc.). That many of the Maltese are obese is statistically proven. Eating/sitting/smoking is indeed a deadly cocktail.
Is this report assuming that the high incidence of heart attacks is due to smoking? How many smokers never go to venues where smoking is allowed? How many people suffered heart-attacks but do not even smoke? Obesity is certainly known to be the cause of heart attacks, and so is stress, and worries about a hundred and one things. These all contribute to heart-failure and the victims are not necessarily smokers.
It would be interesting to enforce a total ban on cigarette smoking and then look at the incidence of heart-attacks. The result would be interesting, that is it could be shown that some heart-attacks are not related to smoking at all. And hopefully, there may be a way of concluding that a heart-attack was a result of smoking, either actively or passively.
Geoff Gibson
Nov 27th 2011, 20:51
Could the fact the impact of the smoking ban has had no effect in Malta have anything to do with the fact no one enforces the smoking ban by any chance? Simple logic is all it takes.
James McIntosh
Nov 28th 2011, 06:57
Absolutely right mr Gibson, a visit to just about any bar will find smokers who do not give a hoot for the law with the complicity of the bar staff.
All the other countries have witnessed a remarked drop in bar trade since the ban was implemented and I wonder if the bar trade in Malta would rather risk prosecution (maybe) or risk loss of revenue (for sure)
Manuel Mangani
Nov 27th 2011, 20:41
While there are flagrant abuses, it is almost impossible to hold that smoking in public places has not decreased as a result of the ban. This decrease should have been accompanied by a decrease in mortality attributable to cigarette smoking. Yet it has not.
The mystery is intriguing.
Claire Busuttil
Nov 27th 2011, 20:34
kif jista isir studju fuq haga bhal din, ftit snin biss wara li inqata it tipjip mil posti pubblici...mela min kien ipejep mux xorta baqa ipejep, u jekk le, in nikotina tas snin ta qabel mux go fih ghandha!?
Lina Ghirxi
Nov 27th 2011, 18:58
In my opinion, heart disease in Malta has not decreased because of the constant aggressive pressure we are being subjected to at most work places, apart from smoking and air pollution!! While I agree fully that smoking bans in public places should be enforced, I also think that working conditions are becoming deplorably unhealthy with too long hours @ miserly rates!!
Mandy O'Dea
Nov 27th 2011, 18:43
I just quit smoking 10 days ago. I miss my cigarettes, now I realise how bad they smell and how ghastly the smell is on people soon after they've put it off. I've smoked for 16 years and will try my best not to start again. Now with regards to the article... it is hypocritical. We know they're not healthy, we know they can cause lung cancer, heart disease, blocked arteries and everything else... but smokers don't care because in our addicts mind we think... if they're really so bad why are they still being sold ?? I understand that thousands of people earn an income through cigarettes and that it can't be stopped. Perhaps governments around the world could encourage these companies to stop producing tabacco as it is and to change it into something that is not so deadly??? Why blame it all on the smokers... you make it available... we smoke!
H. J. Grech
Nov 27th 2011, 19:28
Dear Mandy, we can say that tobacco is a legalized drug ... or something near to it!
Ms. P.M Graham
Nov 27th 2011, 18:28
"Dr Xuereb believes the fear entrepreneurs keep bandying about that business will suffer as a consequence of banning smoking does not hold."
No one will post the statistics on whether the ban was the cause of so many pubs and clubs all over the EU (for example) closing down, and going out of business. All they will say is that it "was dramatic".
The USA has the right idea, where the ban is most rigorously held. Licenses are given to Bars and clubs to have their establishments licensed for smokers and they also have cigar bar licenses so an area is held for smokers, and non smokers can avoid those places.
Eswin Grech
Nov 27th 2011, 17:43
The worst example of smoking in public places is the entrance to Mater Dei Hospital!
Gordon Farrugia
Nov 27th 2011, 17:26
Go to some clubs in pv like hugos - the stench of cigarettes is absolutely DISGUSTING - you go there with clean clothes only to get home smelling of cigarettes.
The ban is not enforced and the only way to effectively enforce it is to FINE HEAVILY bars that allow patrons to smoke.
Ms. P.M Graham
Nov 27th 2011, 19:50
Surely then the answer is NOT to go to Hugos....... I really don't understand the problem.
Gordon Farrugia
Nov 27th 2011, 22:39
NO - that's what the bar security people want you to do. It is illegal to smoke in bars so there should be no persons smoking. It is the persons smoking who have no business being inside. And Hugos is one example - most are like that - there is that other underground bar that opens late at night and is so filled with fumes that its absolutely disgusting.
BAR OWNERS WHO BLATANTLY FLAUNT THE LAW AND ALLOW THEIR PATRONS TO SMOKE INSIDE THEIR BARS SHOULD BE SLAPPED WITH HEFTY FINES. I'm quite sure that will help solve the problem.
Mario Martinelli
Nov 27th 2011, 23:27
AGREE 100% AND CAN WITNESS THE PLACES MENTIONED TOO
fred fellon
Nov 27th 2011, 17:21
Banning smoking in public places does not eliminate hart attacks , however the right tools to make people quit will, for instance the government should give free medicine to all those that want to quit ( CHANTIX ) 2nd the government should also raise the price of a pack of cigarets to 10 euros or more a pack, that would make a person think twice about smoking, but seriously folks how many cigarets are sold trough out the year and how many millions of euros are collected in tax revenue cigarets each year, cigarettes is a big business and i don't think the government is serious wanting people to quit, where else would Gonzi get all that revenue from.
C Cassar
Nov 27th 2011, 17:36
The taxes collected from cigarette sales are a drop in the ocean compared to the enormous medical burden that smokers put on all other tax payers. Smoking will eventually be eliminated. Unfortunately still too many uneducated people around who think that it woin't affect their own health but only of others. Still too many heads buried in the sand.
Victor Boyde
Nov 27th 2011, 16:57
There are no smoking bans in Malta. When I complained at one entertainment venue and requested that smokers ( I counted 14 including the owner) should be asked to leave and smoke outside I was told to get out myself. Every shop, bar, hotels and even KITCHENS, I saw people smoking.....INSIDE.
Gordon Farrugia
Nov 27th 2011, 22:41
the solution is to slap those bar owners flaunting the law with BIG FINES.
Carmel camilleri
Nov 27th 2011, 16:09
It is easy to make laws but the problem is how to enforce them with a indiscipline police force.
C Cassar
Nov 27th 2011, 15:36
There's only been a serious 'ban' for the last 2 years, so hardly surprising the effects haven't been seen yet. Of course those that have been smoking ven just a few cigarettes each day for a few years have already done permanent damage to their heart and lungs and this cannot be reversed.
The impact of the smoking ban will be seen in 25-30 years as youngsters are not encouraged to smoke from an early age. This is thye main benefit from the smoking ban, it's a long term policy.
Charles Sammut
Nov 27th 2011, 16:11
LOL !!!
So how come in other countries, the impact of the smoking ban has been seen straight away??
LOL!!
C Cassar
Nov 27th 2011, 17:32
the smoking ban has been in place far longer in most other EU countries. They have seen a drop after several years into the ban. Do some research before making unqualified comments.
joseph engerer
Nov 27th 2011, 15:29
the smoking ban law was a non starter,a law has to be enforced by fines ,which is the only language all people understand.visiting bars and other entertainment places one can conclude that the ban is not being enforced at all.
James McIntosh
Nov 28th 2011, 07:26
The government has the opt[on of a solution.
Form an inspectorate to visit clubs, bars and other public places in plain clothes to gather evidence, on video if possible, then present the evidence in court for prosecution of the owners and then remove the licences of those offending establishments. It is the only language that these irresponsible idiots understand. At the same time, prosecute the individual offenders with really hurtful fines, name them as being responsible for the loss of the venue to others, the backlash would be instant.
No license, no income , problem solved in that establishment, move on to the next one and do it again.
The word would soon spread that breaking the no smoking law would NOT be profitable.
The question must be asked, is cronyism affecting the enforcement process, do people in high office have financial interest in the big clubs and bars, are the police actually enforcing the ban or nipping into these establishments themselves for a quick smoke whilst on duty.
This is essentially a Health and Safety Issue and places an unnessary burden on a stretched Health Service
Lawrence Fenech
Nov 27th 2011, 15:09
Hats off to Dr. Louis Deguara for introducing the non smoking ban, however non smokers cannot sit outside a bar or restaurant to have a drink or dine as this area is now ocupied by non stop smokers.Public area where ever it is should be non smoking. It seems that smokers are always on the better side.
David Hill
Nov 27th 2011, 14:56
r article states "The paper, titled ‘The Smoking Ban: The Malta Paradox’, looked at figures for cardiovascular deaths and hospital admissions due to a heart attack five years before Malta introduced the ban in April 2004, and compared these with five years later – there was no change in either the admission or mortality rates"
Why the supprise?
According to the report, the figures were given foe 1999 and then five years later which would be 2004, the time the ban came into force,
The comparison should be made with the figures five years after the ban which would be 2009.
carmen muscat
Nov 27th 2011, 14:45
Where is the ban out side school's may i ask. Try putting a child through the doors of the kindergarten school in Hamrun in the morning, smokers to the left and right of the children, not getting them burt by a cigarettes is enough let alone the smoke in their faces.
Ray Vella
Nov 27th 2011, 14:33
Does everyone have to be that surprised really? Under aged bullies smoke openly and defiantly on school buses even to the detriment of asthmatic school-mates with the connivance of the driver. When a compaint was lodged, the reply was that the driver is only responsible for ferrying the students to and from school. It falls on the school authorities, who depend on second hand confidential reporting, to curb such abuse. The person on the spot is simply not to be held accountable for flagrant infringement of the law on his bus. No wonder people are want to look the other way when the law is breached. There is no will to bring defaulters to book.
G G Debono
Nov 27th 2011, 14:28
To ........................... David Farrugia (Today, 13:32) and everybody else ,,,,,,,
RE … FOOD and EATING HABITS. What do the professors say?
Well -- not exactly a professor.... but - -
Food and eating ? Not really - - On the whole our eating habits have improved (fewer big pork roasts and stodge and more veg fish and olive oil)
What is bad is our LAZY LIFESTYLE - no exercise (we're all lazy softies) due to over dependence on cars and surroundings that no longer encourage exercise and.......................... and……..wait for it - - -.
the biggest culprit of - - all television and computers - we spend far too many hours sitting (and usually smoking, of course, -- and eating ) in front of the TV box ..
and the tragedy is that our childreen are getting fatter - precisely because of too inactivity from watching television for too many hours a day - (this is a FACT – established by EU and other studies ) . The tragedy here is that our children are starting life fat (under 6 years ) and so set the scene for diabetes and heart disease later on. Once fat , it is difficult to lose weight.
This is beside POLLUTION – which WE make all that much worse. WE drive around too much in cars and consequently do too little exercise - - - -- So it’s probably not food but lack of physical exercise that is the greatest cause of it all.
Is the message "On yer bikes and get moving" the answer is YES and probably a good idea !
Mr ALAN GALEA
Nov 27th 2011, 14:22
Go to nights clubs, bars, band clubs etc... and you will see by your own eyes what a joke is this law.
How far can we go, when even the bar people and bodyguards light up cigarettes in view of everyone.
Unless the law changes, and owners are responsible and handed hefty fines, abuse will stay.
john engles
Nov 27th 2011, 14:06
Do Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks?
“In contrast with smaller regional studies,” says a RAND Corporation study, “we find that smoking bans are not associated with statistically significant short-term declines in mortality or hospital admissions for myocardial infarction [heart attack] or other diseases.”
In fact, “An analysis simulating smaller studies using subsamples reveals that large short-term increases in myocardial infarction incidence following a smoking ban are as common as the large decreases reported in the published literature.”
In other words, although heart attacks do decline in some places with smoking bans, there are just as many places where they rise. On average, the difference between jurisdictions with smoking bans and jurisdictions without smoking bans is essentially zero.
http://healthblog.ncpa.org/do-smoking...
...
Andreas Moser
Nov 27th 2011, 13:59
I just enjoy cigars too much: http://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/smoking-cigars/
pedro revilla
Nov 27th 2011, 13:43
As a Spaniard visitor to your beautiful country last summer I was really surprised to see so many people(Maltease) smoking in almost every corner. Nobody seems to care much, despite the law and the undeniable consecuances of this hideous vice that is doing far more damage to society than we may think.
Ask any pneumologist and get shocked from the facts.
I wish to return and I'd like to see less people smoking everywhere like chimneys.
Wenzu Vella
Nov 27th 2011, 13:35
The blame should be on the authorities’ shoulders and not the smoker. What’s the use banning tobacco smoking if the law is not enforced? The problem in Malta is that government’s worries about the handful of votes that could determine the outcome of an election and that is are why laws are not enforced. A police officer was seen smoking in uniform in full view on premises were smoking is banned and not disciplined. Well can one say.
David Farrugia
Nov 27th 2011, 13:32
I'm no doctor and know that smoking is dangerous to health. But I think I can easily solve the above paradox : FOOD and EATING HABITS. What do the professors say?
O Kassar
Nov 27th 2011, 13:25
It's unbearable that wherever you go in ublic places people smoke and puff in your face without even asking you whether or not you are annoyed by smoking. Go to stadia, public gardens and open air places to confirm what I am saying. More restrictions and proper enforcement are required.
D Gilford
Nov 27th 2011, 13:11
What smoking ban??? :) This is a joke right?? Everyone (including Djs, bouncers..) smokes in entertainment places. Come on authorities, please wake up!!!!
Joseph Grech Attard
Nov 27th 2011, 13:10
The same situation is present in Tunisia, where, despite that no-smoking laws have been present for more than 12 years! One of the reasons is that certain public officials, some of whom are there to see that laws are adhered to, themselves smoke in public! However, in Mlalta, it would be interesting to find out whether other diseases directly related to smoking, for example ling cancer, have diminished since the introduction of the smoking ban. This is because diet, which is another culprit for heart disease, is surely not being taken care of seriously in Malta. One just have to look at the many outlets of fast food, especially in entertainment areas, beaches, etc, and to the number of fat people to have an idea about what the Maltese diet is like. Certain countries are thinking of introducing health warnings on fast foods as well as making them cost more by making healthy foods and diets cost less.
Bernard Storace
Nov 27th 2011, 12:51
Owners and managers of public establishments should be made responsible and face the music when brought before a magistrate.......
D. Xerri
Nov 27th 2011, 12:48
The authorities should do regular visits to political club bars, band club bars, football club bars and private bars especially on Friday and Saturday Evenings and Sunday Mornings ! This is the time when most of these places are heavily crowded with clouds of smoke popping up everywhere you look AS IF NOTHING WRONG is happenning ! Along with the smoking thing in such places most times one can notice the presence of Young Children everywhere in bars and clubs - Most children are growing up seeing their parents and other adults drinking and smoking when at that young age children should be in other appropriate places !
G G Debono
Nov 27th 2011, 12:46
My guess is that while smoking may have decreased slightly , any gains from a decrease in smoking may have been cancelled out by air pollution.
The data on heart disease are up to 2009 - when we still had that lethal pollution from buses (which the Government in its wisdom had totally disregarded ) .
It is a curious paradox how little importance is attached to pollution as a significant factor - even when the evidence is so strong - and even when there is evidence from epidemiological study in areas
with very low smoking rates which showed increased lung cancer mortality rates associated with (traffic) pollution.
that individuals living in more polluted cities have a shorter life expectancy than those
living in less polluted cities has been demonstrated beyond doubt. The causes of pollution-related deaths are, for the most part, heart conditions and (mostly) lung cancer. There is also a higher incidence of other respiratory disorders, asthma attacks and increased medication usage in association with exposure to raised pollution levels, etc .
So it is not only our addiction to tobacco - - - - but also our addiction to cars and fossil fuels that is responsible - and should receive attention.
My prediction is that lung cancer rates will soon start to rise as the cumulative effects of years of pollution start to take effect .
But we go on smoking and (worse still) over- using our cars - today is sunday and our roads are jammed with people going out for their polluting and unhealthya "Sunday drive" (only interrupted by stopping somewhere for a heavy meal...... )
A Camilleri
Nov 27th 2011, 12:42
So, when all their forecasts fail, rather than admit they had something wrong somewhere, shift the blame elsewhere. Rather than seek explanations whether there is other more relevant pollution coming for example from the old buses (which were still in running during the period of the study), our know-it-alls now seek rediculous smoking bans in public gardens, the beach, designated areas etc. History shows it was always fashionable to persecute a sector of society under a 'legal' or 'legitimate' pretense. During different times it varied from witches, adulturers, skin colour. At this day and age targeting smokers is fashionable.... even if smoking on the beach!
Nazzareno Vella
Nov 27th 2011, 12:26
The authority should make sure to make surprise visits tobars especially band clubs on Sunday morning to book any law breakers regarding smoking
Vicki Azzopardi
Nov 27th 2011, 19:31
I myself being asthmatic find it very hard to find a bar, especially Sunday morning, when I can go and enjoy a drink as everywhere I go there are many smokers. I cannot understand why police do not go and check on them and fine the barman who lets these patrons smoke to their hearts content and to our lungs discontent.... Shame on the authorities..... who know what is happening and ignoring it.
Charles Alamango
Nov 27th 2011, 12:20
We notice people smoking everywhere. It's difficult to control as officers rarely enter premises like shops,
confectioneries, bars etc etc. If authorities set-up a team of plainclothes policemen, wardens or even authorised civilians I'm 100% sure they will have more success than traffic wardens. This setup will surely be profitable as apart from the revenue generated from tickets, our natioal health bill will also benefit.
charles muscat
Nov 27th 2011, 12:18
i stopped going to my local band club as the smoking in there is unbearable........all day long,it seems that nobody care less,i will not even pay my membership.
charles tabone
Nov 27th 2011, 12:15
Friends, please take my advice as a previous chain smoker. I used to smoke almost 60 fags a day. I was rarely s;eeping tight and concentrating mostly on work schedules. In London, 15th August 1996 I had a severe heart attack. Thanks to OUR LADY and the kind attention of the CCU at the then Middlesex Hospital and University College Hospital I managed to survive and retuen home safely. Yes, there will be withdrawal symtomps for more than 3 months, and I know I made life hell to my nearest dear relatives. Thanks to their understanding and love i managed to make smoking a thing of the past. Now it has been 15 years that I have quit smoking. Looking back I would only accuse myself as a an obstinate fool for not having realised what damage I was doing to my health.
Do berar patience and take my advice.
Mr A. Mifsud
Nov 27th 2011, 12:06
The authorities are pointing into the wrong direction in their effort to curb down heart linked diseases. Bringing up excuses that smoking bans in public places are not being enforced is a farce. I hope not to be misunderstood - the law goes enforced in all it's aspects and whoever remains in uncompliant to the law should be brought to justice. I don't believe unprolonged second hand smoke could trigger heart disease.
The study results should also focus on how many heart related deaths are indeed linked to smokers. I bet a good chunk of these deaths aren't. They're probably linked to obesity, poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and stress. Could the heavily toxic air we breathe on our roads, be also a contributing culprit ??
M Cachia
Nov 27th 2011, 12:38
And you base this allegation on what study? or is it just the wild ramblings of the uninformed? Contrary to what you may think it is a well known medical fact that any first year medical student can point out , that cigarette smoke (especially second hand as this is unfiltered) results in a number of effects which significantly increases the risk of cardiac problems.
Mr A. Mifsud
Nov 27th 2011, 17:52
@M Cachia
...well if you google 'smoking ban facts' you'll find multiple articles to this regards. An interesting one is the one by RAND corporation. I'm not saying that smoking does not harm one's health, but don't believe unprolonged (and repeat unprolonged) second hand smoke could lead to serious health issues.
I'm not a smoker myself and I think that the smoking ban in public places legislation was one of the most important and beneficial laws ever introduced.
M Cachia
Nov 27th 2011, 21:27
Your response is misleading. Your original statment was not that the link between lower heart disease and smoking ban was unproven but that second hand cigarette smoke is not linked to heart disease. I again ask you to provide evidence to this fact, and by that I mean peer-reviewed journals not random ramblings on the internet.
Oh and just for your information, my own research identifies that harmful changes in the airway epithelium (structural and physiological) occur after a cumulative period of 24 hours exposed to passive cigarette smoke.
Eric Borg
Nov 27th 2011, 11:48
I think one of the worst offensives is Parents taking their children to school and smoking cigarettes. Also during waiting till the school doors open.
Any WARDENS that are good in giving tickets?
Benigno Saliba
Nov 27th 2011, 11:41
It is evident that the smoking ban is not properly enforced. In summertime, most seaside restaurants enclose an open air encroachment with plastic cover and brazenly supply ash trays on the dining tables. This is especially true in Marsalforn and Xlendi.
D. Xerri
Nov 27th 2011, 12:53
The same thing can be seen in Malta too with plastic tents everywhere enclosed in Plastic - Not only they are taking away the pedestrian pavement BUT turning this plastic tent into a cloud of smoke - I have seen it so many times yet the authorities are either naive about it or dont want to move a finger !
Patricia Saliba
Nov 28th 2011, 17:40
Is it true that in New York people are not allowed to smoke in the streets?
DR EMMANUEL BEZZINA,MA,MAG.JUR.[EU Law],LL.D.,
Nov 27th 2011, 11:40
Thirty Years ago + I commenced an anti smoking campaign [ along with the Divorce,Abortion ,Gay Rights ,Cohabitation, and so many other liberally-motivated campaigns]. The usual heavy dose of threats, defamatory and low-breed insinuations never ceased : that is a genuine Catholic Mentality !! However,finally the Smoking Ban arrived. BUT the country did not follow by the SHY CAMPAIGN, that is a psychological campaign implicating as defective and lowest class creatures all those who smoke; and outright criminals those who smoke in the presence of others showing irreverential disconcern for fellow human beings. Then comes the worse class of all : the insensitive parents or damned in laws or so-called acquaintances or friends who dare smoke in the presence of children. These should be life-imprisoned. Finally pregnant mothers who smoke from conception till birth: there should be capital punishment for these social monsters. This Shy Campaign as I had labelled it never took off the ground because of the avaricious greed of those who want to make money [ lots of it ] at the expense of these foul-smelling,dirty smoking idiots among us. Such include the Government which always capitalises in its Budget on these weaklings who dreadfully smoke.
Smokers are are guilty of a further heinous crime : infecting those who do not smoke or shun smoking,especially children who cannot resist these rodent rogues.
Smoking should be banned throughout the Island,even in the streets and in private cars. If we achieve this, then we might remedy the issue heretofor referred to about the Smoking Problems in our Dear Malta.
william staines
Nov 27th 2011, 12:12
I hate to admit it but I completely agree with Emmanuel but you have to take into consideration that Malta is on the periphery of European thinking, what you see here is akin to what you see a hundred odd miles further south. I'll say no more.
john engles
Nov 27th 2011, 14:08
Do Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks?
“In contrast with smaller regional studies,” says a RAND Corporation study, “we find that smoking bans are not associated with statistically significant short-term declines in mortality or hospital admissions for myocardial infarction [heart attack] or other diseases.”
In fact, “An analysis simulating smaller studies using subsamples reveals that large short-term increases in myocardial infarction incidence following a smoking ban are as common as the large decreases reported in the published literature.”
In other words, although heart attacks do decline in some places with smoking bans, there are just as many places where they rise. On average, the difference between jurisdictions with smoking bans and jurisdictions without smoking bans is essentially zero.
http://healthblog.ncpa.org/do-smoking...
...
Emmanuel Ebejer
Nov 27th 2011, 11:35
Could it be that the root cause of heart disease in Malta is mainly due to the quality and amount of food we consume, rather than smoking!? I stopped smoking almost 22 years ago, but I must admit I'm not one who is satisfied with a salad! :)
G G Debono
Nov 27th 2011, 12:15
"Could it be that the root cause of heart disease in Malta is mainly due to the quality and amount of food..."
Probably more a question of "...the root cause of heart disease in Malta is mainly due to the quality OF OUR AIR and the amount of POLLUTION. in the sense that any gains from a decrease in smoking have been cancelled out by increasing pollution from traffic.
".........
Franco Ebejer
Nov 27th 2011, 13:41
Exactly G G Debono. Could it be that some youngsters modifiy their cars with Turbo and strait pipe exaust and they leave a black cloud behind them....or all the old trucks and vehicles there are, but this is because the new cars here in Malta cost nearly from 3 to 4 thousand more then in other EU countries and practicaly we are forces to buy scrap from GB and pay a lot of tax too. Barra min hekk ma nsemmux ir-rubish ta fuel li ninpurtaw, power station se taqa bicciet, VRT fuq karozzi ta 6 jew 7 snin irrinfurzat u fit ttriq jghaddi truck ta 20 sena ilu hu anqas tibqa tara min warajh!!! Pajjiz tal Mickey Mouse...jekk m'ghamel xejn sewwa J Bandi hargilna diska appropjata!
Dennis Fenech
Nov 27th 2011, 11:32
Kull fejn idahhlet din il 'ban' idahhlet ukoll ligi li ma jistawx jinbijaw sigaretti minn bars, restaurants u lukandi etc. Sigaretti jinxtraw biss minn hwienet jew postijiet tat tabakk li jkunu xi ftit jew wisq skarsi. X'jiswa li tnehhi ir reklami kolla imbad thalli magna tas sigaretti kull zewg passi?
N. Agius
Nov 27th 2011, 11:31
If cigarettes are so bad for the health, why are they not banned completely by EU laws?
M Cachia
Nov 27th 2011, 12:32
Simple answer: Money! Money from taxes, money from tobacco companies to political parties and so on. Glory be the day when all tobacco is declared illegal.
Joanne Micallef
Nov 27th 2011, 11:28
.Well its not being enforced in Paceville for sure cause my son still comes home reeking of cigarettes. Plus because we do not have any extreme weather, smokers are not discouraged to go outside for a smoke every 15 min
M Muscat
Nov 27th 2011, 11:27
Mhux bilfors jekk kulhadd jaghmel li jrid, fejnija l-PULUZIJA jew il-Wardens, dawn biex jaghtuk xi citazzjoni jekk tiparkja hazin qedin BISS.
Jien nifrekwenta Kazin tal-Banda fil-Kottonera kull nhar ta' Hadd filghodu, jekk ikun hemm 60 ruh 40 minnhom ikunu qed ipejpu u jitfghu l-irmied gol frixken tal-birra.
Kieku xi darba tar xi PULUZIJA. Ghallura mhux bilfors jizdied it-tipjip, jista joghlijhom il-Gvern ghax xorta jpejpu.
Mark Demicoli
Nov 27th 2011, 11:25
The authorities are failing this law! NO LAW ENFORCEMENT!!! go to a club in pv no need of smoke machines, it's a disaster, your eyes start watering after some hours! Authorities should be ashamed of themselves. We need law enforcement, close the club for a couple of weeks and you'll see how man people will be smoking inside afterwards.
Karl Consiglio
Nov 27th 2011, 11:21
There was a time when one could smoke in parliament, no?
B Attard
Nov 27th 2011, 11:15
Ghax mhux billi tghaddi ligi trid tibqa tinfurza kullimkien. U x'jiswa li nies f'ristorant johorgu jpejjpu barra meta l-bieb ikun miftuh u d-dahna tidhol gewwa. Trid jew ma tridx xorta passive smoker tispicca.
Dennis Zammit
Nov 27th 2011, 11:02
What smoking ban?
Did you ever go around to bars and other establishments? The smoking has maybe just shifted from one room to another with non-smokers having to suffer from other smoking colleagues.
The best smoking ban is INCREASING the price of cigarettes and tobacco.
Francois Spiteri
Nov 27th 2011, 10:54
What smoking ban? I still can't enjoy a drink in a bar without being exposed to second hand smoke! The so called outdoor areas are roofed over and surrounded with plastic curtains... On the 7th January your sister newspaper reported "....Areas enclosed on more than one side with even temporary plastic material also constituted an enclosed area" and I commented "What about enforcement?... One look at places of entertainment will prove that the level of enforcement is a joke".... Where are the police?
Sean Camilleri
Nov 27th 2011, 10:50
I am out every weekend in bars and clubs around the island and I can strongly say that this law is not being in forced at all. You can see people smoking every were with no fear what so ever.This law is being ignored and not being in forced at all. Inspectors have to be sent at any time of the night as between 1am and 4 am is the worse time were this abuse is happening.
Charles Sammut
Nov 27th 2011, 10:32
"Dr Xuereb pointed out that, unfortunately, it was public knowledge that the smoking ban in Malta was not properly enforced."...hear..hear!!
All one has to do to reinforce what Dr.Xuereb said is go to any establishment in Paceville, most band clubs in the villages, most bars, most political clubs etc....
Of course, the men in blue,the Minister of Police, the Minister of Health and all the other bodies responsible for the "No Smoking" enforcement are ablivious to all this....or ARE they??! Perhaps it is more of a case of "turning a blind eye or two!!!"
It would be interesting to hear any comments from Commissioner Rizzo to insist that his men are doing their job regarding this blatant abuse of the law !!
...and the beat goes on...and the beat goes on......
Charles Sammut
Nov 27th 2011, 13:52
...any comments from Commissioner Rizzo ....or his boss Lawrence ??!!......we are waiting.....
..and the beat goes on...and the beat goes on......
Paul Caruana
Nov 27th 2011, 10:29
What is the point of passing ever more stringent anti smoking laws, if no one is willing to properly enforce them?
Ms Lucia Davies
Nov 27th 2011, 10:44
well said
L. Zammit
Nov 27th 2011, 10:25
Malta smoking ban fails... period!
All you have to do is go out to any bar or club and see for yourselves.
charles muscat
Nov 27th 2011, 12:21
absolutely right
Claudio Cilia
Nov 27th 2011, 10:11
Isn't it obvious that it didn't work in Malta! ...Everyone smokes..... I don't smoke but everyday I 'passive smoke' .. at school, on bus stops , at Paceville (yes even in clubs) the whole place smells like cigarettes..anyway, Everywhere! ..and the Maltese mentality is that if you show that you are uncomfortable next to someone smoking either they offend you or they give you a very bad look as if they are saying "I don't care if I'm ruining you"