My time in Beirut makes me very thankful for the fact that in restaurants and facilities in the U.S., it is illegal to smoke inside. I’ve never been a smoker, and the last time I remember it being legal to smoke inside a restaurant, I was in early grade school. Everywhere we go, I’d say at least five people are smoking inside the establishment, and it’s starting to get obnoxious because I’m noticing it so much.
I can’t even imagine being a pregnant woman in Beirut or someone with asthma having to deal with secondhand smoke everywhere I went. It is impossible to go a day here without inhaling some type of secondhand smoke — whether it is from Hookah (called Sheesha here) or just ordinary cigarettes.
A smoking ban inside public places is supposed to take effect within a year, according to local media outlets’ reports, and the American University of Beirut is a smoke-free campus (even though I’ve seen people disobey it openly like at UK). When the smoking ban takes place, it will be interesting to see how it pans out and how long it takes people to follow it. In any case, I will be thankful to return to smoke-free restaurants and bars at home.
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