Smoking ban hits France, Germany

FOR years, anyone needing a nicotine fix in a German pub or French cafe didn’t even have to light up — the air was already so full of smoke that they only had to open their mouth and inhale.

But that all changes today when strict bans take effect in two of western Europe’s final bastions for smokers, Germany and France. There was long and fierce resistance to the prohibitions on tobacco that other countries imposed.

“When I have a beer I want to smoke, and if I can’t smoke here anymore, I won’t come anymore,” said Hans Dorsmann, a Berlin salesman summing up a view that has made small pub operators fear for their businesses.