Ukraine: Ban On Smoking In Restaurants, State Institutions, Public Transport Stops Takes Effect

Source from:  Ukrainian News Agency (ua)  12/17/2012

The law that bans smoking of tobacco goods, electronic cigarettes, and kalians inside premises of catering institutions, bodies of government and local self-government, other state institutions, and at stationary stops of public transport, has taken effect.

The law takes effect in six months following the day of publication.

The law prohibits smoking in premises other than places designated for smoking in enterprises, institutions, organizations of all forms of property, in premises of hotels, hostels, airports and stations.

The document obliges owners or leasers of relevant premises allocate special places for smoking, of combined area not more than 10% of the total area of a building or a premise.

Besides, such places must be equipped with air vents; information about the harm of smoking must be placed there.

The law defines responsibility for violations of the rules.

In particular, placing ashtrays or smoking in the premises of catering establishments will entail a fine of between UAH 1,000 and UAH 10,000.

The same fine is established for not allocating special places for smoking and for the failure to equip them with air vents.

The previous version of the Law on Measures to Prevent and Reduce Consumption of Tobacco and its Harmful Effects on Human Health required public catering establishments to set aside at least 50% of their premises for serving people who do not smoke.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the draft law on May 24 and President Viktor Yanukovych signed the bill into law on June 13. Enditem