| There are some interesting discussions regarding the | | | | There will, however, be exemptions for certain |
| no smoking regulations that come into force in the | | | | groups such as actors who smoke on stage as part |
| U.K. on the 1st of July 2007. Other countries such as | | | | of their scripting. There was an interesting episode in |
| France, Ireland, and Scotland have begun a smoking | | | | Scotland when they introduced the ban in 2006. The |
| ban. Although there has been some violations of the | | | | popular comedian Mel Smith was forced to simply |
| ban in France, it is thought that these are simply early | | | | play with a cigar and lighter whilst on stage during the |
| episodes of minor defiance and that the ban will | | | | Edinburgh Festival because he was not allowed to |
| eventually be successful. | | | | light it during the performance. He was playing the |
| The ban in England will cover offices, pubs, bars, and | | | | cigar-smoking Winston Churchill at the time. |
| other similar public places and will even cover those | | | | According to the rules "where the artistic integrity of |
| that are covered by paying transport or employees | | | | a performance makes it appropriate for a person |
| traveling to work. Interestingly the threat of groups | | | | who is taking part in that performance to smoke, the |
| of smokers standing outside offices in order to have | | | | regulations allow for parts of premises in which a |
| their habitual cigarettes has been dismissed because | | | | person performs to be not smoking free in relation |
| the rules state that the entrances and exits to such | | | | to that person only during the time of that |
| buildings will be classed as partially covered and | | | | performance. |
| therefore covered by the banning rules. | | | | |