How consumers and traders react.
A new law prohibited the visible exposure of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the store has entered into force in Belgium on Tuesday. At the same time, supermarkets and other retail points over 400 square meters are no longer allowed to sell them at all.
The measure is part of a broader Belgian government program to tackle smoking, with the aim of limiting impulsive markets and reducing the exposure of young people to nicotine addiction.
The new policy is being implemented under the supervision of Health Minister Frank Vandenbruuke and began gradually from January 1st by banning the one -time electronic cigarettes.
“Our ambition is to have a generation without smoke by 2040,” Vadenbruke said, clarifying that there is no universal ban on smoking.
“From today, it is illegal to have visible cigarettes or electronic cigarettes on the shelves. It is not a ban on sale, but you are now required to ask the product from the employee, “he added.
The shopkeepers say they are surprised and report that they did not receive official instructions or technical equipment to adapt to the new law. Each business is called upon to find its own solution: from improvised plastic curtains to advanced cabinets with lighting sensors.
“It’s annoying, because we were not supplied with anything,” says the owner of the booth and tobacco store Jenny Van Van Vaerenbybing. “At least they had to give us the necessary equipment.”
The new legislation is causing mixed reactions. Malac Satani, a student in Brussels and smoking, says she is skeptical: “The custom of addiction does not change only because the product does not appear. The problem is deeper. “
Others, however, see the arrangement as prevention: “It’s a good measure. I wouldn’t want my child to start smoking. It is very difficult to cut it, ”says smokers Emili Fait.
The government’s action plan includes other measures, with the next phase being banning smoking on outdoor coffee and restaurant terraces. The proposal is still under discussion in the Belgian parliament and has not been approved.
Despite the difficulties in implementation, Belgium seems determined to follow the European trend towards a society free from smoking – with the spearhead to reduce the “normalization” of tobacco products in the public space.
With information from Euronews / Source: protothema.gr