Hungary: Health Minister Says Smoking Ban Is A Top Priority

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 14 Jan 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Hungary, which tops the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's list for deaths from lung cancer, plans to join the group of countries which have banned smoking in closed public places.

In a press conference in Budapest, the Health Minister, Agnes Horvath said that the Health Ministry is drafting a smoking ban similar to clampdowns in Ireland and France.

Hungary has 60.5 deaths from lung cancer per 100,000 citizens, compared with an OECD average of 37.4. More than 30 per cent of the Hungarian population uses tobacco, higher than any OECD country except for Greece, Turkey and the Netherlands.

Horvath said, "We plan to join the list of European countries where you can't smoke in closed public places under any circumstances. We want to promote self-care and individual responsibility.''

The minister announced the plan at a press conference outlining the year's top priorities for the Free Democrats' Alliance, the junior partner in Hungary's governing coalition.

http://www.ash.org.uk

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