Just read on Gulf News that “Kuwait has banned smoking and shisha in all public places, including airports, cafes, restaurants, shopping centres and recreational areas.” I thought at first the law was against shisha only but it seems it’s against both smoking and shisha.
Now what’s confusing me is that in the same article it states that “Under the ban, cafes, restaurants and hotels have to allocate a secluded area for smokers.” Isn’t that basically how things are right now? [Source]
34 replies on “Kuwait imposes a public smoking ban… kinda”
Does anyone follow the rules here? This doesn’t matter. The only thing that is going to happen is that they will print out a load of notices and stick them up.
I’m a smoker yet i don’t mind a ban on smoking indoors wherever applicable. We have to respect the concern of others as we should ours really LOL..
Anyway, the problem is that in Kuwait its all BS since there are 1001 laws yet no application. Why do people still smoke in malls ? Because no one takes any action towards them. I’ve seen police officers smoking UNDER the No Smoking Signs at the Airport !! WTF ! do you guys get my point?
Unless the rules/laws are enforced corretly; they are pointless. There is a saying that goes..
من امن العقوبة أساء الأدب
+1000000
I am 100% for everything you just said , can’t agree more and if u haven’t wrote that I would of or someone else would cuz this is the truth
And how u included that quote at the end uff so true ,,
(My father since I was 10 years old he always tells me , من امن العقوبة أساء الأدب, never understod it back then but now it makes sense )
Non smoking signs are around, clearly indicated. Smokers not it’s wrong to smoke yet still do it. The biggest joke is that the smokers use the excuse of needing the smoking ban to be enforced before they follow it. How pathetic.
It’s no different to the driving habits over here. Everyone knows the speed limits, everyone knows not to go through red lights, park on yellow marked clearways. Many still do it because it’s not enforced.
Does that make it right to do? Absolutely not.
It’s not school, it’s real life. Smokers that smoke in signed non smoking areas – grow up, act your age. Do you really need someone to tell you not to smoke when there are signs?! No.
majority of the smokers in malls and indoor places are underage kids who think it’s cool to smoke. and some other steroid pumped dudes who hit on women. either way, if kids are stopped from smoking, i think we can see a decline in smoking by atleast 20% percent imo.
I stopped meeting friends in crowded coffee shops since I had to ran out several times due to heavy smoking indoor ( supreme coffee, second cup, etc…)
not to mention that I had to wash all my cloth after I`ve got home and take a shower since I became too smelly to tolerate myself , thanks to people who were enjoying their time while smoking in a coffee shop and not acknowledging the same right for me ( non smoker person) !!
I am looking forward to days that smoking is not allowed in coffee shops and restaurant. However, I have nothing against shishsa places. Let people go and enjoy their smoking habits there.
WTF?
It’s true when I go home after staying in a place where people smoke a lot I smell like SHIT. Nobody at home smokes so it’s really really obvious. Smokers can’t tell they think perfume covers it.
it is very likely that if smokers are not allowed at coffee shops that business will fall dramatically / therefore the law will not be enforced if coffee shops have their way..
Maybe coffee shops shouldn’t have their way?
القانون موجود من ال-1995 ولكن غير مفعل
+1
they should ban smoking in Kuwait airport..have you ever been to starbux there?! you will have a severe headache in few mints! it must be smoke free!
The way it’s done in Dubai, is that certain places such as bars have to apply for a smoking license to allow smoking in certain areas.
To enforce the law, the establishments should be fined. Kuwait has applied laws previously but punishment of 5kd to the smoker is ridiculous! The establishment should pay a hefty sum of money that will ensure that establishments police their customers.
yayyyy … now ban all junk food and franchised restaurants / cafes … only then Kuwait will be free of all evil 😛
+1000000000000000000000000000000000
I love u
i think it will be similar as with the prohibition of mobile usage during driving.
people feared it at first,but continued to use their phone while driving because the person did not suffer any consequence if caught.
i see often people smoke in the avenues underneath the sign no smoking…they keep on doing it because there is no punishment!!
Besides all these comments on smoking bans being enforced or not. Doesnt anybody care how seriously bad smoking is for your health? I am Dutch, and in Holland they enforced the non-smoking. Nooooo coffee places went out of business, no restaurants were forced to close done. People just except it and stand outside to smoke. It is now great to actually be in a smoke free place. On all airlines you can not smoke anymore. I know it is still part of the culture in many countries but surely doesnt anybody care about their lungs and welbeing??? I do hope it get sorted here but like others have said: laws are not very much followed here unfortunately.
People travel to Holland specifically to Smoke haha
Not anymore. They are in the process of banning tourists from weed shops.
Not in all cities and not all tourists, they’re not stupid enough to lose out on that much tourism
Banning smoking ( joints ) for tourists in Holland is just symbolic politics to the rest of the world for their obsession regarding the Dutch liberal drugs policy. The whole idea is stupid, cause if someone does some research he or she would know that this policy is not because our Government wants everybody to smoke hashish, on the contrary. This ‘political tolerance’ is implemented decades ago, and scientific researches proof every time that The Netherlands has the least amount of drugs abusers. I will not defend this policy over here, but this fact is easy to find via Google.
I cannot confirm your opinion Kathinka, because I do know restaurants which went bankrupt because of the non-smoking measure. Though smoking was banned at all public places, right now it’s possible to smoke again in -mostly- small bars and restaurants (and off course in the special ‘coffee shops’, where they don’t serve you coffee).
Fortunately, I’ll state on my own behalf, cause I don’t like to go outside in order to smoke a cigarette after diner. Certainly not with this freezing weather.
This morning I read a revealing opinion of ms. Badrya Darwish in the Kuwait Times. I totally agree with her on this issue. Of course smoking is bad for your health, – I won’t deny that. But there are so many more things bad for your health. Should we then forbid them all together?
Bad for your health is also unnecessary stress due to ridiculous political, social and moral issues.
If every restaurant would have an adequate air-freshener, we shouldn’t have this discussion time after time. And let the restaurant owners then decide for themselves if they allow smoking or not. I, for instance, will never dine in a restaurant which forces me to smoke outside. But that’s my choice.
Further on I fully understand the ban on smoking in public areas like malls, (public-) offices and airports. Cause as a non-smoker you shouldn’t be forced to inhale the smoke of my bad habit. On the other hand non-smokers shouldn’t panic instantly as they smell a sigarette. Especially pedestrians inhale more toxic air because of motorised traffic and industry compared to cigarette smoke.
I think they best form of punishment is to bring out old fears… all police officers from here on out shall carry around those long wooden sticks that are sold in Mubarakiya. you know the ones that you wished your math teacher didn’t have *math homework shudder*
@Thyrox: They are known as religious police and that is what a large block in the new Parliament wants implemented in Kuwait, so don’t empower them to turn Kuwait into a religious police state like Saudi Arabia. As most people have posted, the problem with Kuwait is that they don’t enforce the law, they make laws (ie no talking on mobiles whilst driving), but don’t enforce them, however,this is a bold step forward towards a civil society. As Rita stated above, it should be enforced like Dubai, banning shisha is against cultural norms and in the correct setting, with the proper licenses, shisha should not be banned in an outdoor location. In Dubai, you can only smoke so many meters from the building in the malls and this is an effective law in keeping malls smoke-free. They will have to enforce smoking locations outdoors.
Another point here is that when authorities enforce the law in any nation, people respect the authorities and respect that nation. In Kuwait, because the authorites don’t enforce the laws, people become empowered to break the law and this increases crime within this nation. When you have lack of transparency in government, police departments, you develop a corrupt undertone that is duplicated in the behaviour patterns of that society which effects the social norms. It is about time that laws get enforced in Kuwait so that Kuwait can move from a corrupt society to a civil society. It is human nature to break laws if laws are not enforced and all people will suffer the consequences, from the lack of law enforcement, if the laws are not properly implemented within a society. This is good news to many people, but enforce the laws so that the people will learn to respect the law and in turn will respect Kuwait more. I sincerely believe that it is lack of respect for Kuwait that there is so much trash all over the country. Yes, the government fails at picking up the trash, but out of respect people will look for a bin before throwing trash on the ground of litter laws were enforced.
UPDATE
Ban has been stopped today morning from the minister
wtf why? got a link?
everybody been tweeting bout it in the past hour
Dysfunctional Government. They just don’t know how to enforce the laws – they need training – may I suggest you ask the UAE to assist you. Overwhelmingly in a suvey in 2010, from expats and Emiritis the police force was voted with very high marks from the public.
Come on guys this is too much,stop making Drama out of it.
its simple if you dont smoke dont go to these places there are many places that ban smoking you can go and enjoy it there E.G starbucks and many other places.
All Famous chains have smoking and none smoking sections so its simple even in Europe they have it.
This is a stupid rule, i dont personally smoke, where do you want people to go no bars, no life,no tourisim, no smoking and terrible weather there will be an increase of private apartments all over kuwait.
No all famous chains don’t have smoking sections. Most have a total ban on smoking indoors. It’s called “Get with the modern times”. Smoking is bad for you. And smoking around non-smokers makes you an asshole!! This comes from a 21 year smoker who quit 6 years ago.
@tim well done
to some the rule sounds stupid and i agree but i also agree on banning them cause some wild and bad reputation places and for safety reasons.as to a kuwaiti i see it as how come a minister make such a policy or so and change it in the next fews days ?!
Ban smoking and permit the booze!
Lol the day they ban sheesha will be the official end to tourism in kuwwait!