Bulgaria's solution on smoking: ban the underaged from establishments
Bulgaria's ruling party GERB, which adopted earlier in the week amendments reverting an upcoming strict ban on smoking in public places, have decided to solve the public health conundrum by banning all underaged from public establishments in which smoking is allowed, including nightclubs and discos.The decision was not without a hiccup, as the previous day the MPs banned students and teenagers from entering smoking establishments during the day, but allowed them to visit nightclubs and bars after 10pm, provided they were accompanied by a guardian.Following a public outcry caused by this oversight, MPs adopted amendments that banned the underaged from visiting nightclubs and discos.Other notable changes include the permission for employees to smoke during working hours, provided it is done in a place specially set up for that. In effect, the provision extends the existing status quo, which was due to change with the introduction of the restrictive ban on smoking in public places.The new amendments go into effect on June 2.