Take That Smokers!

This Thursday, part one of French's smoking ban hits public places. Unfortunately for us, the first wave is limited only to workplaces, schools and hospitals - areas I'm not planning on loitering in any time soon. It's not until next year that the ban affects restaurants, bars and nightclubs. And by then, we'll be living in Munich where to my knowledge they haven't begun to address the issue.

I still can't imagine France without smoke. With one in three adults lighting up, where will they go? It's not as though one business will lose revenue over another. I envision the streets overrun with nicotine-addicted patrons - puffing a cigarette in between their appetizer and main course eventually returning before dessert.

As Health Minister Xavier Bertrand stated last week, "...no one should be forced to breathe other people's smoke." I've been saying this all along. My solution was requiring smokers to wear giant plastic bags around their head - encompassing the smoke in their space only. Since that idea hasn't taken hold, banning smoking is the next best thing. Here's to hoping the law quickly migrates to Munich.