The Netherlands forbids cigar lounges

The Netherlands forbids cigar lounges. Starting January first, the Dutch government forbids indoor smoke lounges in any business building. Smoking lounges in hotels, restaurants, and bars were already prohibited but now the demissionary (or caretaker) cabinet is banning smoke lounges in all places of business. It basically means that every building where people work or go for care, culture, sports, education, and government services will be totally smoke-free. A decision was made by Secretary of State Blokhuis. Blokhuis is a member of a very small, very religious party with only 5 out of the 150 seats in the Dutch Parliament. The cabinet that his party, Christen Unie, was part of is now a demissionairy caretaker cabinet, yet Blokhuis still pushes on with his strict anti-smoke agenda. And that while the parties that will most likely form the new cabinet already ruled out working with Christen Unie again. 

Cigar Lounges

There aren’t too many cigar stores in The Netherlands with cigar lounge. But the ones that are available are of high quality. Since the new legislation is pretty clear, simply making it a ‘members only’ lounge won’t work. The tobacconists affected are the seventeen tobacconists in The Netherlands with a lounge in the shop. (edit: names of the shops deleted on request of one of the shop owners) 

The new legislation is another blow to the tobacconists, who already suffer under a growing load of regulations and are still recovering from the long lockdown due to covid. Just last year, several renowned and old tobacco stores closed due to new legislation that prohibits tobacco products to be seen from outside. A few retailers, close to retirement, weren’t going to cover their windows and work in a dark store all day. Instead, they called it quits. Closing the lounges might be another reason for some retailers to throw the towel. And for what?

Counter effective

Cigar smokers are social smokers, we aren’t cigarette junkies. We love to sit with like-minded people in a confined space where nobody that doesn’t want to be in a smoky environment has to enter. Perfectly happy in our secluded area, where we bother no-one. Now cigar smokers will gather at terraces, where non-smokers are confronted with lush clouds of smoke, perfumed by high-quality, aged tobacco. So instead of allowing cigar smokers a safe haven where they don’t bother anybody, smoke will be in the general public, even around children. That is something Paul Blokhuis, other politicians, and the anti-smoke Taliban never thought of.