The law that came into effect on March 15 is part of the government’s public health strategy that also included a blanket ban on any form of tobacco advertising enforced earlier this year.
Authorities in Armenia believe that fines ranging from 50,000 drams (about $100) for citizens to 200,000 drams (about $400) for business owners will deter visitors of bars, cafes and restaurants from smoking there and thus protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.
“The enforcement of this law will help us lead a healthier lifestyle and will help our young generations not to have bad habits that affect their health,” Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesian said.
Armenia is a nation of heavy smokers. According to official data, more than 52 percent of Armenian men are regular smokers. In general, more than 28 percent of Armenians aged 18-69 smoke. Medics blame this for a high incidence of lung cancer among them. It is believed that up to 5,500 people die in Armenia every year from diseases caused by smoking. According to a United Nations report, annually Armenian authorities allocate funding amounting to over 4 percent of the country’s GDP for treating diseases caused by smoking. The smoking rate among women in Armenia is much lower than among men, but healthcare specialists believe that women in Armenia have been heavily exposed to secondhand smoke because of the absence of restrictions on smoking in public spaces, including cafes and restaurants.
The ban on smoking in public places has elicited mixed reactions among Armenians. One restaurant manager in Yerevan said that while he was in favor of the measure that reduces the serious health hazard, he also feared that his restaurant would inevitably lose quite a few customers visiting particularly for hookah smoking.
“Our restaurant has been open from early morning, but as you can see the area that was originally designed for hookah smoking has been empty. We are definitely going to see a decline in the number of visitors,” Suren Abgarian said.
Some residents approached by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service in Yerevan streets hailed the measure as progress in Armenia’s public health sphere, others spoke in favor of designating special areas for smokers in outdoor cafes. Still others spoke skeptically about the ability of the authorities to properly enforce the law.