Smoking indoors to be banned in Montenegro...

At the next meeting, the Government of Montenegro adopted a draft law restricting the use of tobacco products, which strictly prohibits smoking in any part of the closed space or premises, where, among other things, there are representatives of state and local authorities, as well as various services. Smoking will also be prohibited in cafes, bars, restaurants and other public places where drinks or food are served. In addition, the owners of such establishments will no longer be able to pay taxes and get permission to smoke in any part of the building, Health Minister Kenan Hrapovich said.

Kenan Khrapovich said that the new legal decision strictly prohibits the consumption of tobacco products: in any part of the closed space in which work is performed, in particular, by state and local authorities and services; in places where medical, educational or cultural events are held; on objects of social protection; on objects belonging to the categories of sports and leisure, trading activities, production, trade and storage of food, recording and broadcasting programs, as well as in the room where meetings and public events are held.

“This means that you will no longer be able to pay tax for allowing smoking in any part of the property. However, the owners of such establishments will have the opportunity to define a special zone in the territory of the object, which will be designed exclusively for smoking. In this sense, the law clearly defines the conditions of isolation, the area of ​​the special zone, the location and equipment of this part of the territory,” said the Minister of Health K. Khrapovich.

Taking into account the requirements of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro and the owners of gambling establishments, as well as taking into account the specifics of the organization of gambling in these places, the only exception in the law on smoking is casinos, which are currently 5 in Montenegro. "I emphasize that all casinos, in addition to having special ventilation devices and air purifiers, have expressed their willingness to pay the appropriate fees for allowing smoking in enclosed spaces in the amount and manner determined by the Government of Montenegro," said Kenan Hrapovic.

Another important novelty is that this law regulates the marketing, circulation and use of new tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. By law, it will be prohibited to add special additives with characteristic flavoring and aromatic substances that affect the smell and taste of the product, smoke and create the illusion that the tobacco product is less dangerous to health.

“The supervision of the implementation of the law will be carried out by the Ministry of Health of Montenegro, while the duties of the inspection supervision will be carried out by the Office of Inspection Affairs through the inspectors in the fields of health, sanitation, markets and tourism. I believe that the implementation of this bill should become a national interest to reduce the incidence of our citizens, and I count on the support of the media for its dissemination,” concluded Health Minister Kenan Hrapovich.