title: Failure of policy regarding smoke-free bars in the Netherlands.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco companies consistently work to prevent and undermine smoke-free laws. The tobacco industry and its allies have funded hospitality associations and other third parties to oppose smoke-free laws, argue that smoke-free laws will economically damage hospitality venues, promote ventilation and voluntary smoker 'accommodation' as an alternative to smoke-free laws, and to challenge smoke-free laws in court. In 2008, the Netherlands extended its smoke-free law to hospitality venues.
  
  
  METHODS
  We triangulated news articles, government documents, scientific papers, statistical reports and interviews to construct this case study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite widespread public support for smoke-free hospitality venues, opponents successfully represented these laws as unpopular and damaging to small bars. These challenges and related smokers' rights activities resulted in non-compliance among all bars and reinstating an exemption for small, owner-run venues. This policy reversal was the result of a weak implementing media campaign (which failed to present the law as protecting nonsmokers), smoking room exemptions and reactive (vs. proactive) measures by the Ministry of Health and civil society.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The policy failure in the Netherlands is the result of poor implementation efforts and the failure to anticipate and deal with opposition to the law. When implementing smoke-free laws it is important to anticipate opposition, used the media to target non-smokers to reinforce public support, and actively enforce the law.
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, USA.
authors.forename: Mariaelena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Stanton A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Glantz
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007878:Legislation as Topic / Q000639:trends*; D009426:Netherlands; D011640:Public Policy; D012147:Restaurants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D017132:Workplace / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution