Officials enact sweeping ban on hazardous practice in public spaces: 'Protecting people's health ... is what matters to us'

Belgium is continuing its push to gradually phase out smoking and vaping throughout the country.

As reported by Travel Tomorrow, Belgian officials have confirmed a comprehensive smoking and vaping ban that will start on Jan. 1, 2027. The move will prohibit smoking and vaping on outdoor terraces of bars and restaurants, as well as all public indoor smoking rooms.

The enactment date was delayed by a full year to allow businesses time to comply with the order. The ban aims to protect public health and achieve a "smoke-free generation" by 2040, part of a broader anti-smoking strategy that has already included bans on disposable vapes and tobacco being put on display in stores.

Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke explained the reasoning behind the ban.

"Protecting people's health and creating a healthy environment for everyone is what matters to us," Vandenbroucke said in a statement. "With these measures, we prevent children and adults from involuntarily inhaling harmful cigarette smoke and ensure that people are not tempted to light up a cigarette."

Health experts have long warned the general public about the potential dangers of smoking cigarettes. This includes severe negative impacts on nearly every organ in the body, especially the lungs and heart. However, exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke can also be dangerous for nonsmokers. Like smoking itself, it can cause heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer in adults.

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With the effects of smoking in mind, anti-smoking campaigns have attempted to greatly diminish smoking populations around the world. According to data obtained by For a Healthy Belgium, the number of all smokers in Belgium has steadily decreased over the last two decades.

While Belgium eyes a healthier future for its population, business owners are still unsure of how the smoking ban will impact their livelihood. Jenny Van Vaerenbergh, a tobacco shop owner in Belgium, spoke to Euro News following the tobacco display ban earlier this year. "It is annoying because they haven't given us any supply," said Van Vaerenbergh. "They should have provided the necessary equipment."

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