Smoke-free policy in Poland on the example of the implementation into national law of the European Parliament and Council Directive 2014/40 /EU of 3 April 2014 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the production, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products, and repealing Directive 2001/37/WE

Abstract

Poland in the 1980s was a country with the highest incidence of smoking tobacco products in Europe – 42%, therefore it became necessary to take urgent and effective measures to reduce the undoubtedly harmful to health smoking of tobacco products among millions of Poles. These actions over the past 20 years have brought huge success, as witnessed by a significant decline in smoking in Poland to 24% in 2015. One of the important factors affecting the incidence of smoking among men and women all age groups, including children and youths, was the law of 1997 on protection of health against the consequences of tobacco use and tobacco products (Journal of Laws, Item 298, 2015), introducing, among others, a total ban on tobacco advertising. The development of this Act was a milestone for Polish smoke- free policies. Another very important success was the amendment of the said Act, which took place in April 2010. This introduced a number of smoking bans, among others, in hospitals and other medical entities, organizational units within the education system, indoor plants work in means of public passenger transport, public transport stops, playgrounds and premises for catering-entertainment (outside the designated, separate places). With this solution, since 2010 Poland has significantly decreased exposure to tobacco smoke in public places. The largest — more than twice — the decrease in exposure was observed in the premises for catering-entertainment (from 36% to 14%).