Jump to full article: Reuters, 2006-03-01
Author: Conrado Hornos
Intro: Uruguay imposed a ban on smoking in public spaces on Wednesday, the stiffest restrictions on smoking in Latin America.
President Tabare Vazquez, a practicing oncologist, was the impetus behind the government-decreed measure, which is among the world's toughest and is similar to bans already in place in Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Spain.
The ban prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places, from bars and restaurants to office buildings and shopping malls. The government says smoking causes 5,500 tobacco-related deaths a year. About 1 million of Uruguay's 3.2 million people smokes.
Workers spilled out on the streets during their lunch hour on Wednesday, many puffing away on local Nevada brand cigarettes and lamenting the new regulations in this tiny South American nation. . . .
Cuba imposed a smoking ban in most public places last year, but the measure has not been seriously enforced on the island famed for its fine cigars.
In Buenos Aires, across the River Plate from Uruguay, the first phase of an anti-smoking law also took effect on Wednesday, barring people from smoking in municipal government buildings.
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