In Italy, Smokers Feel Like Outsiders

Italian office workers took their cigarette breaks on the street Monday after a law banning smoking in bars, restaurants, offices and other public spaces went into force.

Minutes after the law took effect after midnight, a young man was fined for smoking in a Naples bar, television news showed. The man’s plea that a cigarette was only normal after a coffee won him no reprieve, and he was levied the minimum $36.

The law, which bans smoking in indoor quarters unless a space has a separate area with continuous floor-to-ceiling walls and a ventilation system, is one of the toughest in Europe.

Among those fuming at the legislation are bar and restaurant owners, who say the new rule will deter customers and that they don’t have the time or money to create sealed-off smoking areas. They also have protested a provision requiring them to report customers who flout the law.

In Milan, an organization called Polite Smokers threw a party to protest the law as it went into effect. Others showed their support by burning piles of cigarettes in the street.

However, some have raised concerns about whether the law would be followed.

In Rome, consumer group Codacons announced a lunchtime blitz of restaurants to ensure that the rule was being enforced.

In a bar in central Rome, waitress Giorgia Pasqualetti complained about having to step out to the street whenever she wanted a smoke.

“Now when I take a break, I risk catching a cold,” she said. “We do not have the space to create a separate smoking room, so the only way to enjoy a cigarette is outside.”

Smokers ignoring the ban face fines up to $363, while owners of premises risk penalties that can surpass $2,900.

Health Minister Gerolamo Sirchia, a former smoker, said that in the first two months, officials would focus on prevention and education.