Several Romanian MPs angry about smoking ban want to prohibit other vices

Thirty-three Romanian senators and deputies have threatened to come up with a draft law that will ban other vices, including alcohol, after the Romanian Parliament passed a law in December that bans smoking in all public places, according to Stirileprotv.ro. The 33MPs have already challenged this law at the Constitutional Court. They argue that the current bill doesn’t even allow smokers to light a cigarette in their own homes. The new law will only make rich those who issue the fines, the senators said. The Constitution Court will analyze their request on January 27. Smoking is not that dangerous compared to alcohol, said MP Cristiana Anghel, from The Conservative Party of Romania. “Crimes are more often related to alcohol, not cigarettes,” she said. “This law is stupid and it has been drafted by people that have no clue about the citizens’ rights,” she added, according to Stirileprotv.ro. Other MPs have argued that Germany has had an attempt to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces, which led to a decrease in work productivity. However, several parliamentary sources have claimed that the 33 MPs have submitted their demand at the Constitutional Court after a meeting with several representatives of the tobacco industry. Several NGOs also argued that they had evidence on the lobby made by the tobacco industry among senators and deputies. They said they would submit the evidence at the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA). On December 15, last year, Romania’s Parliament passed a law that bans smoking in enclosed public spaces, including bars and clubs. Before this law, smoking had been banned in state institutions, schools, and hospitals, but there were many who didn’t respect this rule. Diana Mesesan, diana@romania-insider.com