Smoking on the balconies will be more difficult from next year: the Seimas agreed that this will require the consent of all the neighbors.

Tomas Tomilinas, from the Lithuanian Green and Peasant Union (LVŽS), told the meeting that the law will provide a tool for a person to ask a neighbor not to smoke.

“People were waiting for that decision, this decision unites us, it does not divide us,” said the “peasant” after the vote.

“The human right to health is a natural right,” Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga said at the meeting.

According to him, a number of publications and studies have shown the harm that secondhand smoke causes.

“It is not just a question of unpleasant odors,” emphasized the minister.

According to A. Veryga, the objective of this law is not to create a universal complaint and follow-up procedure, but to provide an opportunity for families to protect their loved ones.

Conservative Arvydas Anušauskas, who listened to the minister, said ironically that it would be good if the minister remembered his words on health when he “removes drugs necessary for human health from the list.

“In this case, as I belong to a non-smoker for life, you speak well, but in other cases, your decisions push people into much more difficult situations, where smoking bans will expel them,” said the curator.

She admitted that her dad smokes and felt that some people couldn’t change their habits.

“I think we are talking about the consequences, but not the causes. You will not implement a healthy lifestyle like that,” he said.

It’s not just about cigarettes

The amendments to the Tobacco Products and Related Products Control Act prohibit smoking not only tobacco or tobacco products, but also all “tobacco-related products.”

According to the BNS, if the neighbors do not object, smokers must ensure that the smoke does not enter the premises of other neighbors in the house. The signage of the smoking ban on the balconies would be the responsibility of the building administrator, the community or the municipality.

The Seimas agreed to ban smoking during outdoor sports competitions or other events, covered public transport stops, children’s play areas and places where public catering services are provided to serve customers outdoors: at outdoor tables, gazebos, other outdoor facilities. This ban would not apply to smoking areas.

BNS recalls that since 2014, the Seimas has repeatedly rejected proposals to ban smoking on balconies. Opponents of the amendments argue that the ban would not be feasible.