New Smoking Ban in France

All bars, restaurants, etc in France officially became smoke-free on January 1, 2008, woohoo! I think that the official smoking rate in the country is something like 40% of the population, but it has always seemed like a lot more than that to me. And I don’t know the break-out by age, but I’m assuming it’s a lot higher among the younger age groups … who are the people out at the bars & clubs. I’ve had to leave places before due to the effect of heavy smoking on my eyes, so there is a remarkable (positive) difference now. However, as excited I was about the arrival (and subsequent strict enforcement) of this law … it has also altered the social atmosphere in bars. Since the ban was put into effect, there are tons of smokers who spend (what it seems like sometimes) half the night outside smoking. It seems like the majority of the people I go out with smoke, so it’s not uncommon to suddenly find myself alone (or with 1 or 2 other people) at a table that was just filled with 8 or 10 people. And then the smokers end up creating a fun, lively atmosphere outside, and it’s like we are in two different bars! Are the smokers having more fun than us?? So although I am most definitely in favor of the smoking-ban, that is just my beef with the differences that it leads to in the social environment. Here are a few pictures from one of our first smoke-free nights out .... with my American friend Colleen and her English bf Dave.