No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNo smoking ban in Costa Rican bars, restaurants goes into effect

No smoking ban in Costa Rican bars, restaurants goes into effect

After Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla signed the Control of Tobacco and its Harmful Effects on Health Bill on Thursday, approving sweeping reforms to Costa Rica’s regulations on smoking, the law was published Monday in La Gaceta, the official government newspaper, making the legislation official.

The law bans smoking in places such as bars, restaurants, public buildings, casinos, bus stops and taxi stands. Taxes will increase ₡20 ($0.04 cents) per cigarette. The legislation mandates cigarette packs display text and photo warnings on at least 50 percent of the box. Tobacco companies have six months to comply with the latter law.

The Health Ministry is still working on reglamentos, or regulations, which explain how the law will be enforced. The ministry has 90 days to release regulations, while business owners adjust to the new rules. A Health Ministry official said in upcoming days, the organization will release a form for filing denuncias (official complaints) against those violating the law.

Manuel Burgos, president of the Restaurant Chamber, also announced Tuesday that he plans to file an injunction in April against the constitutionality of certain aspects of the law that he said violate business owners’ rights.

The smoke-free law follows guidelines set by the World Health Organization, already put into practice in nine other Latin American countries.

Trending Now

Guatemala Seeks FBI Help After Gang Leaders Escape Prison

The Guatemalan government announced Friday that it will ask the United States for an FBI team of experts to help recapture the leaders of...

Costa Rica Presidential Candidate Eli Feinzaig Recovering

Presidential candidate and Congressman Eli Feinzaig of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) underwent surgery Saturday night to repair a fractured sternum sustained in a...

Second Phase of FIFA 2026 World Cup Tickets Launches

Fans across the globe now have another shot at securing seats for the FIFA World Cup 2026, as the organization opens the second phase...

Costa Rica U-17 Women’s Team Earns Historic Draw vs Brazil

Costa Rica's under-17 women's national soccer team marked a milestone in their history with a 1-1 draw against Brazil during the FIFA U-17 Women's...

Why This U.S. Expat in Costa Rica Chooses Local Over Headlines

In the weeks leading up to my trip to the US, I scanned several news sites both left-leaning and right-leaning to better inform myself...

Costa Rica Residency Backlog Hits 38,000 in October

Immigrants in Costa Rica continue to deal with long waits for their residence cards, known as DIMEX, as the immigration system struggles with backlogs....
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica