Smoking

I thought that I was lucky to have the smoking ban go into effect July 1, so that the Greeks would have at least two months to cooperate before I arrived. No such luck, noting like the lights out that happened the day after the ban went into effect in Turkey. 2 points for Turkey on this one. Though I don't have any concrete examples, I have been told that Greeks aren't surprised that the smoking ban is not enforced. Greeks don't do well with authority (perhaps becoming Grecian will be easier than I thought!). The birthplace of democracy is now home to one of the most anarchic nations in the western world. This will be elaborated on when I have more details for you.

So here is nitty gritty on the ban. The smoking ban went into effect in Greece July 1, 2009. This ban prohibits bans smoking in indoor public spaces and work areas, public transportation, and smoking in areas without proper ventilation. Small restaurants and bars (between 70-300sq. meters) are permitted to have smoking, so long as they have a non-smoking section as well.

Currently, over 50% of the Greek population lights up on a regular basis. Minors are not discluded from this statistic either. I have 14-year-old chain-smokers in the dorm. The ban, unfortunately, does not seem to prevent the Greeks smoking. Rather, it promotes exercise in order to smoke (smoking isn't allowed on campus, so the teachers here all have to sprint off campus for a few puffs during their 7 minute class change).