[The dawn of a smoke-free leisure industry in The Nederlands]

Abstract

From the 1st of July 2008 the Dutch smoking ban for public spaces will be extended to hotels, restaurants and bars. The ban is a result of a 2003 Health Council report in which it was concluded that the annual incidence of deaths due to passive smoking is considerable. Based on these numbers, smoking in public spaces is prohibited since 2004. In a society where smoking in public spaces is prohibited, the harm of passive smoking will decrease. In this issue of The Nederlands Tijdschrit voor Geneeskunde (Dutch Journal of Medicine) a number of articles are dedicated to the subject of smoking.