In Depth: Smoking ban introduced in Germany - je 8.1.2008

Smoking is dangerous to your health. That's been clear for decades now, and it's prompted governments around the world to introduce smoking bans to protect their non-smoking citizens - Germany has now joined the club. But after years of fierce resistance by the restaurant lobby, the legislation is piecemeal: smoking bans have been rolled out state by state, and most allow for separate smoking sections. The ban went into effect in some German states last year - others, including Berlin, ordered smokers outside on New Years day - the remaining six states will introduce their bans by this summer. Outraged smokers and club owners are now mounting a legal challenge which they plan to file at the Constitutional Court, alleging the ban is a breach of smokers' basic rights. But that doesn't change the fact that for the time being, if you want to smoke, you're going to have to do it outside. In the cold.