PAS FUMER, SÉRIEUSEMENT
Pas vraiment

The French have tolerated laws and government schemes to restrict smoking in the past by the expedient of ignoring them. But a new ban, passed by decree to end-run public debate in the parliament, comes in force this Thursday* and smoking scofflaws may be in for a rude awakening.

'CIGARETTE POLICE' DEPLOYED IN FRANCE TO ENFORCE SMOKING BAN

PARIS January 30, 2007 (Independent) - From this week, a legion of 175,000 "cigarette police" will patrol and sniff schools, factories, offices and other "public spaces" across France to enforce a tough, new law against smoking. At least this is the theory. After years of lax enforcement of existing laws, it remains to be seen how strictly the new rules are imposed.

... There are some doubts about the legal basis of the French law, imposed by government decree and ministerial circular rather than by act of parliament. The government could not trust its parliamentary supporters to anger smoking voters by passing tough restrictions in an election year.

... The detail of where smoking is banned is not in the decree but in a ministerial circular. Lawyers have warned that this is legally dubious and open to challenge.

... In theory smoking in all French bars and restaurants has been banned since 1991, except for small, designated "smoking" areas. In practice, the law has been turned upside down with almost entire premises marked as "smoking areas". This has not been challenged by the government, but from next January all this will change.

... The power to enforce the law has been given to the police and gendarmerie but also to the transport police and an army of inspectors. They will have the power to issue "contravention" documents, like parking tickets, to offenders. The government hopes that the law will, in fact, mostly be enforced by the moral pressure of non-smokers.

Unfortunately for the government's vision of cost-free enforcement, smoking is not a moral issue, meaning non-smokers will be exerting exactly zero moral pressure. They will simply complain. And complaints, why, they are the elevator music of France.

* Earlier reports gave January 1:

LE TABAC BANNI DES LIEUX PUBLICS AU 1ER JANVIER 2007
23 août 2006 (Figaro)

PFFT (What is this?): Pas vraiment 4 | Rayonnement français 0

Bonjour ,

"Pave" fait ici preuve d'un certain culot !
Cette hystérie anti-tabac est une vérole qui nous vient des USA !
J'ai le souvenir d'un neveu de ma belle-sœur , naturalisé yank , donc perdu pour la Civilisation [un vrai voyou buveur de Coca ] ,qui hurlait comme un dément à la vue d'une cigarette il y a déjà une dizaine d'années.
Le "nouveau-con" ["néo-con" en Yank ] Edward Luttwak a théorisé cette hystérie anti-tabac US dans un de ses livres anciens.
Pour lui c'est l'expression de la frustration des individus devant la barbarie néo-libérale yankee.
"Pave" devrait lire plus souvent les auteurs "nouveaux cons"."Pave" s'en réclame , mais ne les connaît pas , ni les lit ...
Inculture congénitale des Yanks ?

Light up a cigarette? Mais non!
Light up the neighbor's car? C'est bon!

I detest smokig, but his is absurd.