Rome
Italy this week became the latest European country to adopt a ban on smoking. As in Ireland and Norway, all indoor workplaces in Italy must now have a separately ventilated smoking area or else be smoke-free. Smokers will be fined up to $300, and bar or restaurant owners who don’t evict smoking customers will be fined more than $2,000 for each offense. The ban has provoked outrage: One-quarter of Italian adults smoke, and most regard it as a basic personal freedom.
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