Denmark smoking ban

[burnthebeautiful]

*sigh*
Denmark has passed a law banning smoking from any bar or club bigger than 40 square meters (131 feet). It takes effect in April. I'm not sure if the 40 square meters includes storage areas or just the area of the bar open to the public.

I'm really bummed out about this, because I live 20 minutes from the Danish border, and 40 minutes from Copenhagen. Since the Swedish smoking ban took effect in June 2005, Denmark has been the place I can escape to. Up until now, I've loved Denmark's complete lack of smoking laws. You can smoke in train stations, on busses, in bars, in concert venues, in schools, even in hospitals (!). I guess that'll all be gone come April.

One of my biggest interests is music and going to concerts, which I do frequently. Copenhagen gets lots of good concerts, so I go there quite often to see someone play. Because of Sweden's smoking ban, I love going over to Copenhagen and enjoying the freedom of being able to smoke at concerts. I'm not a big smoker, but I love to see a band play and drag on a cigarette while the band plays a slow song. It's one of lifes little pleasures. As sad as it might sound, being able to go to Denmark and smoke at concerts is one of my favourite things to do in my life. It's just one of those things, like a cup of hot cocoa, a slice of pie, one of lifes little pleasures. And now it's being taken away from me.

I guess I just needed to vent/whinge...

[KBCraig]

*sigh*
Denmark has passed a law banning smoking from any bar or club bigger than 40 square meters (131 feet).

While 40 meters = 131 feet, 40 square meters = 431 square feet.

That is still pitifully small, about the size of my living room.

Shame about the smoking ban. I was married (the first time) in Esbjerg. Denmark was fun.

Kevin

[burnthebeautiful]

Oops.
Sweden and Denmark both have lots of tiny pubs, in fact I'd say the majority of bars are be under the 431 square feet. I don't really know why bars here are always so small, maybe it's the taxes? Who knows. I don't give the small-bars exemption very long though. I estimate about about 2 years before they pass a new law removing that exemption and ban smoking in bars outright.

I will really, really miss smoking at concerts I wonder if Danish people will be more inclined to not give a crap about the ban than Swedes. Swedes never break laws, they're timid little sheep. But Danes are generally more individualistic and fun-loving. I've already seen plenty of Danes openly smoke joints at concerts without employees caring, maybe the smoking ban won't be enforced.

[error]

I've previously fit a 60-person party into a 600 square foot, one bedroom apartment.

I wouldn't have normally tried to do something so crazy, but the party had naturally spilled out of the apartment, onto the balcony and stairs. So somebody called the cops.

When THEY got there, they discovered that unlike all the other college parties in town, everyone at this one had been personally invited. So they asked me to put the party back in the apartment, and they left without busting anyone, checking any IDs, or anything. I think they were kind of disappointed...

[lordmetroid]

I totally agree with this, second hand smoking destroy my body hence my property and I can't do jack about anyone wishing to smoke where I am located. Furthermore smoking destroys my property which I payed for by taxes.

[KBCraig]

Furthermore smoking destroys my property which I payed for by taxes.

You "bought" your property by paying taxes?

[hook]

I totally agree with this, second hand smoking destroy my body hence my property and I can't do jack about anyone wishing to smoke where I am located. Furthermore smoking destroys my property which I payed for by taxes.

Publick Edookashun, which I payed for by taxes...

[burnthebeautiful]

I totally agree with this, second hand smoking destroy my body hence my property and I can't do jack about anyone wishing to smoke where I am located. Furthermore smoking destroys my property which I payed for by taxes.

What are you talking about? Of course you can do jack shit - you can walk away. You're voluntarily choosing to be on private property where the owner of the property allows tobacco smoking to take place.
And if you own property, ie a house, you can obviously tell people they can't smoke on it. And also, you don't pay for something with taxes. You buy something from the person who owns it and then once you start owning it, the government starts blackmailing you for money every month.

[Ruger Mason]

I totally agree with this, second hand smoking destroy my body hence my property and I can't do jack about anyone wishing to smoke where I am located. Furthermore smoking destroys my property which I payed for by taxes.

Bub, if you're on MY property attempting to use force (by way of government) to compel me to evict the smokers I invited to be on MY property, you're violating MY rights.  You have absolutely no right to use my property.

[aries]

That's a shame. Hospitals in the US generally don't allow smoking with good reason. I'm not sure about movie theathers, etc... as you know bars and concerts in NH are still up to the host.

[burnthebeautiful]

Hospitals in Sweden and Denmark both still have smoking rooms for patients, like if a patient has his or her own room, the patient can choose to be put in a smoking room. The idea is that if you can't leave the premises for whatever reason, like if you're hooked up to a machine, you should be allowed to smoke. Most common is the loonie-bin where the patients aren't allowed to leave, the crazies can smoke in their rooms.