Bulgaria Finds Support for Full Smoking Ban

The poll indicates that the government in Sofia has a measure of support for its recent proposal to introduce a full smoking ban for closed public areas on June 1, 2012.

The move comes after previous unsuccessful attempts to impose a full ban, and one year after a partial ban came into effect.

The Gallup poll also shows that the number of smokers in the country has decreased by two per cent. Approximately 39 per cent of all Bulgarians were smokers in 2011, compared with 41 in 2010. The country still ranks among the most cigarette-addicted nations in Europe.

People between the ages of 26 and 40 are the most dedicated smokers in Bulgaria, with 55 per cent of them considering themselves "slaves" to the bad habit.

Some 10 per cent of the smokers approached by the pollsters claimed that they would quit within the next two or three months.

The newest potential ban is the second most important reason for quitting the bad habit, smokers said, the first being the increase in cigarette prices in the country.