The law has been passed, the signs have been made, and the ashtrays have been ceremoniously crushed. On July 1st, 2007, England went where it had never gone before: smoke-free. England joined already smoke-free Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales when Parliament passed the 2006 Health Act, which bans smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces. For some, the ban is a long-overdue step toward promoting public health in Britain. For others, it's a total drag. Britain isn't the first European country to go smoke-free. In 2004, Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace, and several other countries, including Italy, Norway, and Spain, have since followed suit. Despite the wave of clean air sweeping the Continent, it remains to be seen whether the citizens of England will really breathe easier.

Health officials hope that the smoking ban will prompt more smokers to kick the habit. The National Health Service has implemented new programs aimed at helping smokers use the ban to quit, and quit-smoking help lines have already seen increased traffic. Officials are most optimistic about the long-term benefits of the ban and expect that its major payoff will come in future generations.

Looking to Scotland, though, where the smoking ban has been in place since March 2006, it appears that these healthful hopes may go up in smoke. Shooed from their pubs, Scottish locals line the sidewalks and create outdoor smoking lounges out of busy pedestrian areas. As one smoker outside a pub in Glasgow remarked rebelliously, "They can stop us from doing it inside, but they'll never stop the smoking altogether!"

The English are taking more concrete steps to ensure that the smoking ban doesn't change their lifestyles. Hundreds of pubs planned a "day of defiance" on July 1 and allowed patrons to smoke despite the implementation of the ban. Many vow to continue allowing their patrons to smoke if the demand remains high—a calculated risk considering the hefty £2500 fine slapped down on owners who break the law. Fines for individuals caught smoking in public buildings by officials is £50.

Still, some have come to accept the ban with a sorrowful goodbye. At midnight on June 30th, the Naval and Military Club in London's St. James's Square had a solemn "extinguishing of the cigars." The ceremonious farewell was a popular idea; many people planned gatherings with friends for one last public puff. Only time will tell how English culture will evolve around the smoking ban, but for now, it's lights out.