Estonians have long been free to light up wherever they please, but the new law prohibits smoking in hospitals, cultural centers, apartment corridors, communal apartment rooms, all schools and preschools, state buildings, airport lounges, public transportation and in trading, productions and service enterprises.
However, the law excludes hotels, restaurants and pubs - three places in which non-smokers can sometimes find no relief.
"It's possible to smoke anywhere in our cafŽ. Now, in the summertime, people can eat outside," said Guido Vilbaste, manager of Coffe, a popular Old Town Square cafŽ.
"We have a very good ventilation system. Smokers don't do harm to those who don't smoke, and we haven't gotten any negative feedback from non-smokers," he said.
Others suggested the lack of non-smoking sections is not a non-issue.
At restaurant Sue Kai Thai, there are separate rooms for those who choose to light up and those who want to breathe smoke-free air.
"People do care. We have many requests to sit in the non-smoking section, and the section is always full," said the restaurant's secretary, Sirje Soosalu.
Office buildings have tougher rules. An Eesti Telekom representative said there is one rule governing smoking in their headquarters, which is the former Tallinn Bank building on Roosikransi street: It must be done only in the cafe on the first floor.
The building has 33 different companies. They can't open windows, and a sensitive smoke alarm system, are the reasons for the restriction, she said.
"We have special places for those who smoke, but nothing will change in our company due to the tobacco law," said Andrus Kuusmann, Estonian Railway spokesman.
Another aspect of the law regarding noncash payments for tobacco products has also been the subject of contention among the government, health groups and tobacco companies.
According to Jaak Uus, general manager of Austria Tabak, an Estonian cigarette distributor, the law wrongfully aims to put retailers under stricter control, by refusing them the right to pay for tobacco items in cash.
"Small rural shops, the nearest bank office might be 10 kilometers away, there is no Internet, and it's difficult for them to make pre-payments via the bank," Uus said.
He said the Estonian state could lose money if the black market in trading tobacco products increases.
Another point of the law establishes the maximum tar content in cigarettes at 12 milligrams and the nicotine content at 1.2 milligrams. It also introduces a fine of up to 10,000 kroons ($615) for minors caught smoking outside, and also for vendors who sell tobacco products to minors.
European Union laws, in an attempt to dissuade would-be smokers, dictate that 35 percent of cigarette box fronts must be health warnings, and 45 percent of the backs must be also covered with anti-smoking advertisements.
An article on the Internet portal Delfi commented that soon Estonia will most likely adopt the EU rule, and added jokingly: If we want to start agitating people, we can say bags of potato chips should carry advertisements that they are unhealthy, and cars should have warnings that they emit potentially lethal gases. Why should a company be dictated by the government whether people should smoke or not?"
Every second man and every fifth woman in Estonia smokes, according to research quoted in the daily newspaper Postimees. In addition, 80 percent of 20- year-olds have smoked. The rate has fallen 10 percent since 1994, when it reached its peak levels, and is now at its lowest overall rate since 1990. Still, no concrete research on smoking or deaths related to smoking have been conducted in the country, according to the Social Affairs Ministry.
Levels have gone down among male smokers because of increased prices and public service campaigns, while changes in women's habits have not reflected these reasons, according to the ministry.
Three thousand tons of tobacco are used in Estonia annually.
The World Health Organization says that 3.5 million people die annually worldwide from smoking-related illnesses, of which there are 25 different types, mainly associated with heart disease, cancer and lung disease.
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