Doc Manhattan
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- May 26, 2008
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A challenge to state smoking bans in Germany was upheld by the Constitutional Court.
It's not a full enfranchisement for smokers: the ruling says that "smoking section" laws are unconstitutionally biased against bars and restaurants that are too small to section off their properties. A total ban would still be legal, and I don't know enough about German politics to know whether that's a likely next step. In any case, a pro-tobacco (and pro-small-business) ruling in the EU is a rare bird indeed.
For the time being, it's smoke 'em if you got 'em in the Bierhalls.
It's not a full enfranchisement for smokers: the ruling says that "smoking section" laws are unconstitutionally biased against bars and restaurants that are too small to section off their properties. A total ban would still be legal, and I don't know enough about German politics to know whether that's a likely next step. In any case, a pro-tobacco (and pro-small-business) ruling in the EU is a rare bird indeed.
For the time being, it's smoke 'em if you got 'em in the Bierhalls.