Greece Cancer Society calls on state to extend smoking ban to open public places

The Hellenic Cancer Society calls on the Greek state to extend the smoking ban to open public spaces likes parks, beaches and sports facilities.

The HCS reportedly ask the state to extend the smoking ban and stresses at the same time that times has come also for Greece to apply this practice implemented in several European Cities like in Paris.

“We are calling on the Ministry of Health for one more time to bring to Parliament the appropriate legislation and call on Municipalities to take care of relevant  information to the public and place specific signs in public and open communal areas,” the President of Hellenic Cancer Society Evangelos Filopoulos said.

He added that the HCS launched two years ago the campaign to raise awareness of smoking ban in playgrounds as well as at the beaches where the cigarettes stubs are toxic waste for the environment and the people.

He stressed that the HCS offers campaign boards reading “Do not Smoke. We play here!” for municipalities so they can install them at playgrounds.

Greece has passed several laws to ban smoking in closed places like restaurants, cafes and bars but they were never implemented in reality due to strong reactions.

Only in public institutions the ban works even though merely for citizens and not for public servants.