England Douses Public Smoking

The English ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, including bars, workplaces, and public buildings, went into effect at 6am today. The effort to improve indoor air quality and inconvenience some smokers into quitting will cause grumbling, says the country's chief medical officer, but "on the whole, the majority of smokers and non-smokers wanted this change."

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland already enforce similar bans, as do Ireland and some European countries. More than 1% of English smokers will kick the habit because of the new legislation, the government predicts. But some long-time smokers are fuming. Artist David Hockney calls it a "grotesque piece of social engineering" imposed by a "political and media elite." (More David Hockney stories.)