The ban on smoking in closed public places should cover smoking of any devices and products, including hookahs, MPs propose with a draft of changes to the Health Law.
It is also planned to increase the fines for objects in which the ban is violated, BNR reports.
The bill introduces the term “use of tobacco and related products”, which replaces the term “smoking”. Thus, the ban will cover smokeless products, the PP-DB importers are motivated. Its scope will also include products for water pipes – hookahs, where the harm to health comes from the process of igniting the mixture.
An additional factor is the multiple puffs from the hookah, which can last up to 45 minutes, unlike smoking a cigarette, importers say. According to data from an international study by the World Health Organization, Bulgaria ranks 5th among 42 countries in hookah smoking at least once a week by students aged 11-13.
The project does not provide for an increase in the fine for smokers who have violated the ban, but higher fines are set for committing a violation in an object managed by the relevant person – they will start from BGN 500 and will reach a property sanction of BGN 8,000, if applicable a word for a legal entity.
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