One of the most common causes of death is lung cancer, and we all know what can cause this disease. But few people think that this pathology can develop not only for one who smokes a pack and more cigarettes a day, but also for someone who is just nearby and forced to inhale this smoke.
The harm of inhaling tobacco smoke has been proven for a long time, but until recently, people who were not subject to this addiction, were forced to simply put up with it. But now smoking in the porch and other public places is strictly regulated by the state, which makes it possible to control this potential harm.
Where is this problem more often?
On the part of smokers, there is often a complete disregard for the complaints of strangers who are just next to them. Sometimes this happens in a family where one or two parents smoke. They can do this in the kitchen, thereby involuntarily forcing their own children to inhale nicotine resins. This issue is especially acute in drinking families.
But more often, a person can get harm from second-hand smoke simply on the street or in the workplace. Even waiting for your bus at the bus stop, you can involuntarily breathe tobacco smoke. And it’s not everyone who decides to make comments with a smoker next to you, and often this can provoke a scandal. And usually a non-smoker simply prefers to step aside, although the right decision would be to go to the smoker. It is precisely this problem that the law on smoking in the porch and other public places solves.
The harm of secondhand smoke
The harm from smoking is acute not only in front of our country, but throughout the world. According to statistics, an average of 1.5 million people a year die from smoking-related problems. But perhaps this is even underestimated data, because only in Russia up to 1 million people die from alcoholism and tobacco a year.
For one hour of passive inhalation of tobacco smoke, a person receives harm equal to smoking half a cigarette. Thus, it is easy to calculate how much harm people get from tobacco on a daily basis. Moreover, it is worth noting that one smoker in the entrance can poison dozens of people at a time.
Not surprisingly, public outrage led to the enactment of a ban on smoking in public places. But Russia is not the first country to take such measures; similar measures have long existed in the West.
US ban
Do not think that the fight against smoking by introducing a fine for smoking in the porch and other places is something new. On the contrary, in our country it began much later than in Western countries.
One of the first countries to start fighting this bad habit is the United States. This may seem strange to some, because we all remember the famous ad with the Marlboro cowboy, which has become almost the hallmark of tobacco companies to attract new customers. But this is exactly the case - in the USA in 1964 they began to take the first prohibitive measures. And we must give them their due, because a substantial fine for smoking in the entrance of a house or hotel is able to inspire smokers much better understanding of the harm they do to others than a simple remark!
Today, there is a ban on smoking on student campuses, bars, public places, and police are closely monitoring the implementation of these measures. And since the start of the introduction of prohibitive measures, there has been a positive effect - until 1964, about half of the country's inhabitants smoked, now no more than 20% of Americans smoke.
As you can see, by regulating smoking in the hallways with the articles of the law, you can achieve a lot!
Where else are prohibitions in place?
Many countries have restrictive smoking control measures in entrances, bus stops, and other public places. And note that many of them were adopted a long time ago, when this topic has not yet been raised in our country.
A typical example is Finland, where a smoking ban at the entrance of the house was introduced back in 1977. In this country, smokers were left the right to smoke outside of public places and at home. Otherwise, the violator faces a fine of up to 150 euros, and if they catch a minor, they can put him in jail.
An interesting law was passed in Bhutan - there the fine for smoking in the porch or in any other place reaches 170 euros. This significantly exceeds the average monthly income of citizens of this country.
In Australia, prohibitive measures have also been established in all government departments and places of food (bars, restaurants). In stores, there is a ban on placing packs of cigarettes in a display case, they can be sold only if the buyer asks.
In many European countries, prohibitive measures have also been established, which has already brought about a marked reduction in mortality in them from the causes of smoking.
What is the situation in Muslim countries?
As for those countries where Islam is considered the main religion, not everything is clear there. In most of them, smoking is prohibited, but in some places smoking is a hookah (considered an Oriental invention).
In a number of other countries, located mainly in Asia, where Islam is also widespread, such strict prohibitions do not exist. For example, in Malaysia, with the proliferation of electronic cigarettes, authorities had to enact a prohibition of smoking in porches and other public places.
If we talk about the theoretical part of Islam, then the Qur'an clearly gives a ban on this (Holy Quran, 7: 157 and Holy Quran, 4:29).
When was the bill passed in Russia?
The ban on smoking in porches and other public places was signed on February 23, 2013. This event was actively covered by the media, so many probably remember this.
The new bill entered into force on June 1 of the same year, and it was no coincidence. It was specially timed to coincide with Children's Day, since, in addition to imposing a fine for smoking in the porch, the articles of the bill also provide for additional measures to protect children and adults from tobacco products. In particular, measures are envisaged to limit the financing of production and advertising of tobacco products. And also a number of prohibitions have been adopted to curb the spread of addiction among children and adolescents.
The bill has number No. 15- dated June 1, 2013, it contains all prohibitive measures and the amount of monetary penalties from smokers for violation.
The amount of the fine
So, what is the amount of money that can be exacted from a fan of smoking in the entrance of an apartment building?
The penalty is not so large, but still significant for many Russians - from 500 to 1,500 rubles. An ordinary person, having once paid such a fine, is unlikely to repeatedly violate the law, although not for everyone this amount is an argument.
A police officer may impose a fine; for smoking at the entrance to the Code of Administrative Offenses, namely, Articles 6.23–6.25, provide for a monetary penalty. Therefore, if you often notice smoking companies or just individuals, feel free to call outfit. But before that, just try to talk - maybe they will understand you and stop spoiling the air, but if not, then it's the police’s business.
In other public places, you can comment on the smoker, but it’s hardly worth calling the police. As long as the outfit arrives, the intruder has time to leave, and you will not prove the violation.
What contributed to the adoption of the bill banning smoking in public places?
The initiative to adopt this law came not only from the country's leadership, but also from public organizations involved in health problems. But also an important role in this matter was played by the agreement signed by Russia on May 11, 2008 with WHO on global tobacco control issues.
As we see, under the adoption of the law on the prohibition of smoking in the porches lies not only the initiative of the Russian public, but also the fulfillment of the obligations undertaken by the country's leadership.
Dry statistics
And now let's look at what exactly is the harm from second-hand smoke and why the army of proponent supporters is growing every day. After all, all this is happening not from scratch.
To begin with, if every day you are forced to be with people who smoke in the common room, then you increase the likelihood of getting a cardiovascular disease by 30%. It is for this reason that several tens of thousands of people die every year.
Also, passive inhalation of tobacco smoke increases the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis by 20%. And for those who smoke themselves, this probability is 50%.
The lungs are one of the first organs from smoking, you lose not only endurance, but also reduce their vital capacity (by 5-10%).
Significant harm is observed even at the level of the mental state. It is scientifically proven that the cause of increased irritability and agitation may be the inhalation of smoke. This often happens when living together in the same room with those who smoke regularly, without going outside. Resins and nicotine are eaten into furniture and walls and the smell remains in such a room for a long time. For the same reason, when buying a car, be sure to evaluate the interior for "smokiness."
Of particular note is the danger of secondhand smoke for pregnant women - regularly breathing tobacco smoke, they risk harming their baby, comparable to if they smoked themselves. It is important to realize this and not to allow such situations in work collectives and at home.
Tobacco Promotion
It may seem strange to someone why, with the adoption of all these prohibitions on smoking in porches and other places, the number of smokers themselves has not decreased. After all, they create a certain discomfort, plus many themselves understand the danger of smoking. So what is the reason?
To answer this question, just turn on the TV in the evening and see what is shown there. And you will see there how the main characters smoke cigarettes or cigars, drink expensive wine, etc. In short, the promotion of smoking and alcohol is in full swing, capturing these images at the subconscious level.
It turns out that by banning cigarette advertising in a simple form, it is being actively conducted on a verbal level. By the way, note that in today's American films and TV shows an order of magnitude less smoking heroes than in domestic films. The reason is known - in the USA there is a ban on this kind of advertising.
Gender ratio of smokers
According to statistics, today at least 3 million teenagers aged 15-19 smoke in Russia, and more than half a million of these are girls. They smoke at least seven cigarettes a day, and young men averages 12.
If we compare the statistics on smokers in the early 2000s and today, we get a disappointing conclusion - the number of people with nicotine addiction has grown by 20%.
The total number of tobacco addicts in the world is 1.3 billion people. In our country, among adult smokers, 35% are women.
And the saddest thing is that the number of people involved in smoking is growing every year, and the age of involvement is constantly getting younger - now it's 15 years old.
The total number of smokers in Russia is 44 million, which is 40 of the total number of citizens. And Russia is also the leader in the world in tobacco consumption. And in teenage smoking, our country comes first.
The main reasons for the spread of smoking are open propaganda and walking distance. All shop windows are littered with packs of cigarettes, and until this changes, the situation will only worsen.