← home page • Buzz@Bruss! Edition #4 • How to behave at the zoo
The European Commission presented a draft for Council conclusions on smoke- and aerosol-free environments and once again proved its appetite for highly regulatory approaches and paternalistic interventions.
JTI understands that tobacco smoke may present a nuisance to non-smokers from a behavioral or social perspective and recognizes that many people have concerns about exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. All smokers should show consideration for those around them and should not smoke when children are present.
However, does it really need the European Union to boss anyone around by telling them not to smoke in a zoo?
Liberal societies have fought for a long time to escape the nanny state syndrome, and don’t wish for it to return. In such a society, the state’s responsibility is to regulate for safety, not to make choices on behalf of their citizens, nor tell them how to live their lives. At JTI, we believe that such state interference should not prevail, but rather uphold the respect of individual autonomy and personal responsibility. This is particularly true for wanting to ban or regulate smoking in private areas, homes or vehicles.
– ‘Accommodating smokers and non-smokers’, JTI Core Principle #5 –
All smokers should show consideration for those around them and should not smoke when children are present.
“- ‘Accommodating smokers and non-smokers’,
JTI Core Principle #5 –
Specifically, we regret that potentially Risk-Reduced Products (RRP), such as vaping devices, have been included within the scope of the Recommendation and we consider the extension to open and semi-open areas (such as hospitality terraces) is disproportionate. An individual case-by-case assessment would be needed to determine certain outdoor and quasi-outdoor places.
The application of smoke-free environment measures to heated tobacco and e-cigarettes has not been based on solid scientific evidence. The only publication evaluated by the Commission that examines the second-hand risk of emerging products is the SCHEER Report on e-cigarettes, which found “weak to moderate evidence of risks of respiratory, cardiovascular and carcinogenic damage due to second-hand exposure to e-cigarette aerosols.” More references to scientific studies in this area can be found in JTI’s contribution to the EU’s Call for Evidence.
The application further undermines the opportunity to differentiate these emerging products from traditional cigarettes and inform adult smokers about the relative risk profile of these products. The Commission runs contrary to the findings of the most recent Eurobarometer, notably on the fact that, according to this survey, a majority of respondents who started using e-cigarettes cite their desire to quit smoking or reduce cigarette consumption as the primary reason for their decision.
Therefore, the right for adult consumers who have made the informed choice to use such products should be preserved, notably in public spaces. The counter-effect of extending such a ban to emerging products must be carefully considered by regulators.
It is the duty of adult consumers of tobacco and nicotine products to be courteous when using these products in public places, notably to avoid smoking around children. However, outright prohibitions are inconsistent with the fundamental rights of free societies.
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