EFFECTS

The Ministry of Health states that in Panama 2 thousand 500 people die each year caused by diseases related to the cigarette.

After a day of which it entered to govern Law 13 of the 24 of January of 2008, that adopts measurements to control of the tobacco and its harmful effects on a person’s health, the Ministry of Health (MINSA), through its free lines: 512-9444 and 800-5500, received near 50 calls between the 6:00 a.m. and the 1:00 p.m., of yesterday Friday.

The majority of them, according to Mayanín Rodriguez, director of Promotion of Health of MINSA, came from citizens interested in knowing in what sites you could smoke and in which not. Others, said, were people who wanted to denounce those who saw smoking in public sites.

(GURU Clubb, Calle Uruguay – Panama City)

WHERE CAN I SMOKE AND WHERE NOT?

The law lets few spaces one to be able to ignite a cigarette or tobacco. “People will only be able to do it in the open sites where there is no other person”, it assures Rodriguez.

Not even it will you be able to smoke neither in the parks nor in the corridors of your building.

The public and private offices, the transportation in general, the terrestrial, marine terminals and areas, public places where there are people, sport areas, common areas of the buildings public and private, the closed work atmospheres, and public and private education and health facilities, are in the list of prohibited places to smoke.

“You can smoke in your house, as long as you do not have a maid”, it said Carlos Vergara, one of the four people who answers the hot lines of the MINSA, which work 24 hours.

(Royal Casino – Marriott Hotel, Panama City)

FINES

The sanctions will prevail considering the risk generated for the health, the economic capacity of that commits the misconduct and the social repercussion of the infraction, among others aspects. The sanctions also imply the closing of establishments.

The fines range between 10 dollars and 100 thousand dollars.

If you see a person smoking in the street, you can denounce it with a call to the hot lines, or warn the competent authorities, a policeman, for example. The policeman must take the smoker to the corregiduría (community authority), where they will write a report which is sent to MINSA, because this is the authority which has to charge the fine.

As of today, an equipment of 25 inspectors, of the 100 MINSA has, will make a nocturnal route to verify how informed are the owners of bars, casinos and restaurants on the law. “The idea is to see how norm has been welcomed”, assured Rodriguez.

Antonio Alfaro, of the National Association of Games of Luck, says that they are waiting for the regulation of the law to determine his effects.

(Veneto Hotel and Casino – Via Veneto, Panama City)