Financial Measures for Adjustment to Smoke Ban

Abstract

According to the recent estimate, there are about 1.2 million smokers in the Republic of Croatia, i.e. almost every third adult aged 18 to 65 smokes. Research has shown that Croatia with 2.086 consumed cigarettes per citizen is considerably above the European average of 1.673 consumed cigarettes per citizen annually. The research done by ESPAD (The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) has shown disconcerting records by which about 70% of the young reported that they have ever been smoking at the age of 15 and about 30% of the same population smoke on regular basis. The smoker average in secondary schools stands at about 15% in the first grade increasing to 40% of the school leavers population. Approximately 60-70% of the children have been assumed passive smokers from young age on because their parents or other household members smoke.Paving the way gradually for smoke ban in public places in the Republic of Croatia began already by the end of the 90s of the last century with the Law on Tobacco Products Usage Restriction (NN 128/99 - The Official Gazette). However, inspite of the law the condition of that period did not change. It was much more ignored than respected. Nowadays, almost ten years afterwards the government of the Republic of Croatia has passed a new, stricter Law on Tobacco Products Usage Restriction (NN 125/08 - The Official Gazette) in accordance with the acquis communautaire.The Law stipulates complete smoke ban in public with intention to protect 68% of nonsmokers from tobacco smoke and to reform the rest 32% of smokers. Similar law was enacted in the USA with exception concerning performers in theatre production performance. This loophole in the law was abused by the catering establishment printing playbills to encourage customers to self-acting with an inevitable prop cigarette before a smoke ban. Psychiatric hospitals in Croatia are the only exceptions to smoke ban and the question arises how Croatian caterers will use this loophole in the law.In order to adjust to the European Union as much as possible, the government proposes the so called tobacco taxation that is a medical tax on tobacco but the citizens as tobacco product consumers have resisted since the taxes would drastically increase the price of tobacco products.By 2009, according to the plan, 5 kuna from the cigarette packet price will have been directed to medical budget, in 2010 this will have amounted to 6 kuna and in 2011 to 7 kuna from each cigarette packet price, which implies increase in prices. The first justification for this is that the money, collected in such a manner, will be used for curing smoking-related diseases. The second justification is that the cigarette price affects the number of tobacco addicts directly, in other words, the number of addicts will, if only minimally, decrease with increase in tobacco products prices.