1. Backer of Smoking Ban Caught Red Handed
by Jennifer Jordan
International and National bans on smoking have seemingly spread like wildfire throughout the world. Restaurants, cafes, clubs, and lounges that once held happy tobacco users now possess "No Tobacco Allowed" signs and "put out or stay out" mantras. Yes, the Earth has become a difficult place for those who love to smoke in public.
Joining countries from all over, Portugal has recently lost its immunity to a strict smoking ban and gone the route of places like Ireland, Germany, and the United States. A nation that once only outlawed smoking in healthcare settings, government buildings, shopping malls, schools, and mass transportation portals has become the latest country in the tobacco-free trend. As of midnight on January 1, 2008, a smoking ban was enacted that outlawed tobacco use in the majority of public places, including bars, clubs, restaurants and pubs.
Ironically enough, as soon as the ban went into affect, the man behind the ban - Antonio Nunes - was caught breaking the rules. He was photographed near Lisbon by the daily Diario de Noticias with a lit cigar.
Oopsie.
Nunes, President of Portugal's food standards agency, was one of the prime advocates for the ban and the person many believe responsible for its approval. Upon being spotted smoking on his stogie, he reportedly said that he didn't realize the smoking ban applied to casinos, which was where he was spending his New Year's Eve. Obviously, Nunes took a gamble and lost.
Though there is a fine for smoking in public as well as a fine for places that don't enforce the ban, it wasn't reported if Nunes will be forced to pay or let go with a warning. Either way, his reputation is a little, well, burned.
|
