Going the way of 21st Century civilization, or a vision of Orwell, depending on your angle, England has banned smoking indoors as of July 1. The plucky Brits are figuring out ways to get around the ban, but to their great surprise, many are embracing it, says Metroblogging London:
I can't believe how completely people have adopted the strict rules. No fighting, no biting, no illicit smoking around the side of the bar or on the dark dance floor. [...] But my concerns about the creeping fungus of the police state doesn't change that, after a lovely lunch spent having a pint and reading the paper (my definition of heaven) at a great local pub, which is usually made unendurable at lunch due to smoke, I say: cheers to the ban!
In California, ever the trend-setter, we've been indoor-smoke-free since 1998. New York City enacted a ban in 2003, and Mexico City, home to some of the proudest and cockiest smokers on the planet, is currently considering its own ban. (In the last year they've also legalized abortion and same-sex marriage.) Can't imagine it working in Mexico, but looking at London, I suppose anything is possible.