Next week the anti- smoking laws will take another landmark step in trying to banish the once ubiquitous habit to a place no one wants to go.
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Having been driven out of workplaces and pubs, four metres away from hospital entrances or playgrounds, smokers now have a new danger zone to watch out for.
From August 1 across Victoria smokers will be banished from footpath dining areas, pub courtyards and beer gardens when food is being served. The fines of $777 for transgression dont leave much room for doubt.
The reasoning is probably self-evident. Food and cigarette smoke don’t mix. Add to this the fact most families like to dine together and sometimes dine outside means it shouldn’t be a recipe for children having to consume second-hand smoke.
Some wil lament the loss of a humble pleasure but with as many as 75 percent wanting the ban and only about 15 percent of population smoking they are very much in the minority.
The commingling in outdoor eating areas has created problems and potentially ruined many a sunny luncheon, so this clarity may help let alone bring Victoria into line with other states who set this divide a decade ago.
The legislation however does have some greyer areas; smoking will be permitted at times when food is not being served, unless the venue owner decides to ban smoking entirely. Then there is the bizarre area of smoking being allowed where snacks are served. The definition of a snack? "pre-packaged shelf-stable food" that does not require any preparation prior to serving.
Smoking will also be allowed outdoors in restaurants and pubs who establish four-metre buffers between smokers and diners or erect 2.1-metre-high cafe blinds.
The later will no doubt be an additional construction impost for hotel or café owners who choose to permit smoking.It is looking like small property owners or those who risk food and smokers mixing would simply opt for a completly smoke-free option.
As most smokers would know, ultimately this is a heath and not an amenity argument, protecting non-smokers and in turn persuading smokers to give up.
The quit campaign realised long ago limiting the place you smoke was a key part to de-glamourising tobacco. If the cold, or hunger or isolation help in making that critical decision when a smoker has had enough, the laws will have ad a lot more than a little benefit.
