Antitobacco Trend Has Reached Europe

A sip from a pint and a drag on a cigarette are almost ritualistic in pubs across Ireland. Yet, come January 1, the Irish government will impose a ban on smoking in pubs and perhaps permanently change an age-old part of Irish culture. Ireland will be the first country to impose such a ban in Europe. However, its strict new law is merely the most recent development in a growing wave of anti-tobacco legislation across the continent; Norway and the Netherlands have also approved prohibitions on smoking in bars and restaurants, while France and the UK have enacted various policies meant to discourage smoking. Many Europeans ridicule these crackdowns, describing them as American extremism. "This is one of the more horrible things exported from the United States," one Irish pub representative said, referring to New York City's recent ban on smoking in bars. "The economic impact is simply incalculable. And there is a huge social impact." Despite such outrage and criticism, policy makers maintain that they are merely enacting the will of the people. Only one-third of European adults smoke, and Ireland's ban was advocated by a pub employees union. "There has been a shift in public opinion," an anti-tobacco group leader said. "Politicians are never the trend setters." – YaleGlobal