Tobacco.org

• Small traders fear smoker exodus  

The proprietors of small pubs, cafés and shops fear their trade will be badly hit by ongoing changes to laws on tobacco use and sale. A “tolerance period” before the introduction of a full-scale ban on smoking in enclosed public places expired on Saturday. Now members of the public can be fined up to HUF 50,000 (EUR 169.02) for sparking up, while the publican can be hit with a penalty of up to HUF 2.5 million (EUR 8,451.29).

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Caterers wary of new smoking ban 

• Hungary’s Smoking Ban Increased to Defcon 2 as Inspectors Now Have Power to Fine Your Cancer-Spreading Ass  

Although Hungary’s smoking ban was officially introduced in January, a three month “tolerance” period was put into place, to allow places to gradually phase smoking out, also taking into consideration that in April people will be far more willing to go outside than in January. Surprisingly enough, most places we frequent in Budapest had banned smoking by the end of January, while others made feeble attempts or ignored it outright, and others just opened bars in their living rooms.

The “tolerance period” ended Sunday . . .

Out Saturday evening, we still saw plenty of places with ashtrays out and people lighting up, but what exactly do you expect when Budapesters have grown up their entire lives making a sport out of avoiding getting caught by kontroll?

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• Fidesz denies tobacco law proposal skewed toward Hungarian company  

It is the parliamentary group of ruling Fidesz that drafted the new bill regulating tobacco retail sales, tobacco company Continental Dohanyipari Zrt has only been involved in the drafting process, group leader Janos Lazar said at a press conference, in response to a Monday press report.

Nepszabadsag daily said that Lazar and Janos Santa, head of Continental and of the Hungarian Association of Tobacco Industry Investors (DBMSZ), had worked together in drafting the new legislation from the beginning.

According to the paper, the bill had been designed to help Continental, a company in full Hungarian ownership, gain a better position in the domestic tobacco market, which is currently controlled up to 85-90 percent by multinationals such as Philip Morris, BAT and Imperial Tobacco. . . .

Lazar confirmed that Santa had indeed been involved in the drafting process from the beginning as it had been Fidesz’s firm intention to ask for the opinion of Continental, a Hungarian company.

The opposition Socialist party on Monday called on the ruling Fidesz to “clear itself of the tobacco scandal” and to tell why the EC had received the draft earlier than Hungarian MPs.

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• A magyar fiatalok kijátsszák a dohányzási törvényt [Hungarian young people circumventing the law on smoking] 

The room is legally a private residence, but anyone can drop by to smoke, talk, only one need to do: eat, drink and ordered the owner's designated courier service from restaurants. Income housing after the commission means the owner of the traffic.

Our menu pubs visited an apartment where the evening at eight large companies have already found. The owner was not "home" and when we called the phone, we would like to write about it, refused to do this. But in fact not illegal in the business: - If Courier Service from which will be assigned a home food and drink on site and there is no sale, then tax and accounting point of view of the courier service has obligations, the apartment owner, of course not, if vendégeitől not ask for money for the room for the use of - we learned the Tax and national office.

The National Public Health enforces tobacco regulations, however, punish: - A private home at the moment, to make room for others, even without compensation, it becomes a place of public service vehicles, subject to any such legislation on the protection of nonsmokers.

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Hungarians Start Throwing “House Parties” So They Can Keep Lighting Up  

some entrepreneurs have started to convert empty apartments into places where people can meet up and order food/drinks from a delivery service, which technically gets around the news rules.

One such place is the Skanzen Community Smoking Room, at the former location of Zacc, which got our friends at craft brew blog Folyékony Kenyér excited because the plan is to only make craft brews available via courier. But before you go and open your own place, the National Health Authority insists that such places are covered by the non-smoking law

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• Association of smoking, physical activity, and dietary habits with socioeconomic variables: a cross-sectional study in adults on both sides of the Hungarian-Romanian border 

Background

The association between socioeconomic status and health-related behaviours has been clarified in several epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to reveal the socioeconomic differences in health-related behaviours and in nutritional status of Hungarian and Romanian citizens living on both sides of the border. . . .

Results

The prevalence of smoking was similar in Hungarians and Romanians (33.2% and 36.4%). The frequency of "unhealthy diet" was 70.6% in Hungarians and 75.2% in Romanians. Physical inactivity was more prevalent in Romanians (73.2%) than in Hungarians (32.0%), while the prevalence of obesity was higher in Hungarians (22.0%) than in Romanians (16.5%). Based on the univariate logistic regression models the risk of smoking was higher among those with medium educational level (ORHu=1.66) and poor financial conditions (ORHu=3.13) in Hungarians. The risk of unhealthy diet was higher among the low educated (ORHu=1.77; ORRo=7.91) and among those with poor financial conditions (ORHu=2.05; ORRo=4.25). None of the socioeconomic factors was associated with leisure time physical inactivity. In the multivariate models obesity was associated with medium level of education in Hungarians, and with unhealthy diet in Romanians (ORRo=2.10). Physically inactive Hungarians were more (ORHu=1.74), whereas inactive Romanians were less (ORRo=0.64) likely to be obese than physically active people from the same country.

Conclusions

The present study shows that socioeconomic status is associated with health-related behaviours in a small area of Hungary and Romania. The results highlight the need for developing interventional strategies, focusing more on people in lower socioeconomic status, in order to reduce the existing inequalities in health and health-related behaviours.

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• Hungarian Tobacco Industry Association winds up 

The Hungarian Tobacco Industry Association will wind up at the end of January under a decision taken at an extraordinary general meeting of the professional group held earlier, the organisation told MTI on Monday.

When asked by MTI, the association said it was winding up because of the departure of members. . . .

At the same time the association was established, BAT Pecsi Dohanygyar, Continental Dohanyipari and Imperial Tobacco Magyarorszag cancelled their membership in the Hungarian Tobacco Industry Association.

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Gov't Plan to Limit Tobacco Sales Seen Boosting Small Business, Civil Society  

A plan by the government to radically limit the number of locations where Hungarians can legally buy cigarettes and other tobacco products while simultaneously raising prices would lead to dramatic and potentially negative changes in the local market, business daily Napi Gazdaság reports. Under the proposed changes, the number of spots where people can buy smokes would be cut by more than three-quarters, from approximately 40,000 to under 6,000.

Experts interviewed by the paper said such a radical move to limit sales points would lead to "chaos" in the market, and coupled with higher prices would drive smokers to use "illegal distribution channels."

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• Hungarian tobacco industry companies establish new professional association  

Hungarian tobacco companies on Thursday announced the establishment of a new professional association, the Hungarian Association of Tobacco Industry Investors (DBMSZ).

The DBMSZ aims to represent the industry’s professional and business interests in a concerted way.

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Gov’t plans to take control of cigarette sales 

The cabinet may take control of the retail of cigarettes and similar products, restricting their sale to small family-run tobacconist stores in order to reduce smoking and create jobs, Fidesz caucus leader János Lázár told reporters on Monday.

He said the issue is complex but is also urgent as more young people are taking up smoking. Minors are often able to buy cigarettes, he said, adding that this is more common at multinational retail chains.

Lázár said the government wants to follow the Austrian model whereby only tobacconist stores would be authorised to sell tobacco products.

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• Hungary Wants State Concession on Selling Cigarettes 

The Hungarian government wants to introduce a state concession on the sale of tobacco products in an effort to keep minors from buying them and also to support small local businesses.

“We are aware of minors regularly being able to buy cigarettes, which is something that usually happens at multinational stores,” Janos Lazar, the parliamentary group leader for the governing Fidesz party, told reporters Monday.

Selling tobacco products and alcoholic beverages to buyers under 18 years old is illegal in Hungary. However, it can be hard to verify customers’ ages, especially at larger outlets with high foot traffic, so many don’t bother.

“We are looking to adopt the Austrian model, which involves the designation of a set number of registered kiosks run by small local businesses,” Mr. Lazar said. As he explained, Hungarian smokers are estimated to spend up to 500 billion forints ($2.2 billion) a year on smokes, a market the government wants to be controlled by small family businesses.

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Last-minute change to amendments would postpone rise in cigarette tax  

A last-minute change on Monday by Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee to a package of economy amendments would postpone an earlier planned rise in the excise tax on cigarettes.

The committee removed the increase from the package before the final vote, arguing that conditions had to be established for the same taxation of products that are equally harmful to health.

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Hungary scraps cigarette tax hike plan, raises ethanol fuel levy  

Parliament approved last-minute changes to amendments that will postpone an earlier planned rise in the excise tax on cigarettes but raise the scale of an increase of the tax on E85 ethanol fuel blend instead of lowering it.

MPs approved the changes with a vote of 251 for and 90 against.

Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee tabled the postponement of the higher excise tax on cigarettes, arguing that conditions had to be established for the same taxation of products that are equally harmful to health.

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• The butts stop here  

Nicotine addicts will be forced to go outside for a puff after parliament passed legislation last week banning indoor smoking in all public places, including transport vehicles, stations, underground pedestrian passages and playgrounds, from 1 April next year. Tobacco-using MPs will have to visit one of the terraces of the parliament building but it is bar and restaurant owners who are most worried about the new regulation.

While it is OK to light up a fag in Legends Sports Bar, principal owner Robert Longworth looks forward to the day when the bar, along with all the others in Hungary, is a non-smoking environment.

Smoking will be outlawed in the vast majority of closed public spaces and even the courtyards of institutions including schools and hospitals, but it is the hospitality industry that expects to be hit hardest by the ban.

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