Germans ignore smoking ban

by Catherine Bodry on

Smoking bans in Europe, that continent that always seems to have a cigarette in hand, are becoming more and more frequent: Neil reported on Paris and Berlin cafés going smoke-free, Grant wrote about how the German smoking ban is spurning crafty workarounds, and I talked about angry Naples residents’ response to their city smoking ban. But this is the first report I’ve seen of all-out defiance in the face of a smoking ban.

According to a report from Reuters, German citizens are blatantly ignoring the ban, perhaps because, as one resident claims, no one is stopping them. Although potentially faced with a 100-euro fine if cited, residents of Germany’s 16 states (out of 20) that banned smoking don’t seem too worried.

Berlin police are letting café owners decide whether to enforce the rules, stating that there’s a “transition period” that lasts until July — until then, the ban just isn’t a high priority. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in July.

Smoking ban in Germany spurns crafty workarounds

by Grant Martin on

Here in the United States we’ve had mixed results to smoking bans. In New York and Los Angeles, people are forced to smoke outside of bars and restaurants, although the smokers I’ve talked to tolerate it moderately well. Here in Michigan, the bar and restaurant lobby refuses to let go of the notion that people can still enjoy dinner and drinks without a cigarette — so the various legislation in the works has been all but squashed. Eventually, I imagine they’ll have to go outside and smoke too, even if it isn’t this year.

If the Michigan lobbyists were smart though, they would let the bill pass and start a hole-in-the-wall building company. Like this poor guy in Germany, smokers in US could stick their arms and heads through “smoking points” in the walls, where all of their toxic breath could be exhaled into the atmosphere.

Or they could just be ridiculed by amateur bloggers here on Gadling.

Smoking bans in Naples get residents fired up

by Catherine Bodry on

New anti-smoking measures in Naples stipulate that no one can light up near a pregnant woman or in a park, as well as near children under 12 or in large crowds.

Will it fly? Naples councilor Gennaro Capodanno suggests that Neapolitans’ historically rebellious nature will render the ban ineffective. “However they try and enforce this, they will meet with laughter,” Capodanno says. He also points out that “close” isn’t defined: “How can they assess who’s smoking too close? Do you need to use a tape measure? And how do we know if a kid is more than 12? Does he have to carry documents on him?”

If Capodanno’s attitude is any indication of the rest of Naples’ feelings on the subject, you can expect to see cigarette smoke wafting about in the open air for the time being.

Reactions to World’s Biggest Smoking Ban: Londoners Fired Up

by Iva Skoch on

London–the alleged smoking and drinking capital of the world by sheer volume of alcohol and cigarettes consumed–put its smoking ban into effect, kicking and screaming, on July 1st. Although other cities, such as New York or Paris, have gone through similar labor pains, London’s is the biggest smoking ban yet: it affects 3.7 million businesses, including 200,000 pubs, bars and restaurants.

So far in the last two weeks, smokers have reluctantly gone outside to smoke, but the government is not stopping there. It is planning to change the law so that, among other things, employers can be fined if they fail to stop workers dropping cigarette butts on the street.

The Independent offers a glimpse into the London smokers’ sentiments by quoting a few “influential” ones:

  • ‘I am appalled at it. They are treating us like children. I’m not a schoolboy. Mr Brown thinks he’s a prefect’. David Hockney, Artist
  • ‘We’re suppressing everyone these days, not allowing adults to make their own minds up’. Antony Worrall Thompson, Chef
  • ‘The alleged danger of so-called second-hand smoke is so phoney it stinks to high heaven’. Joe Jackson, Musician
  • ‘You would have to search the world very hard to find a single government that would say it was abolitionist’. Paul Adams, British American Tobacco
  • ‘Smokers should not be discriminated against simply because they smoke’. Chris Ogden, Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association
  • ‘I’m inventing bike sheds to attach to buildings so it’s somewhere people can go to smoke’. Joanna Lumley, Actress

Hmmm, I am a semi-militant non-smoker myself but I realize that smoking bans do raise important questions about personal liberty in civilized societies. Makes you wonder, what’s next?