Greece a place where smoking is seen as a right and not a drag

Yannis, the grocer outside my hotel, always carries a rosary in his hand. The click of the prayer beads has a mesmeric effect. We wonder if he is praying for a safe Olympics, free of terrorists.

But Yannis does not care too much for the Olympics. He has a more weighty issue on his mind - how to give up smoking. Greeks are the heaviest smokers among the 25 countries in the European Union. A recent study suggests that 45 per cent of the adult population have a regular drag. Most of them must live in Athens. Everyone seems to have a fag in their hands. Except Yannis.

'It helps me to quit smoking. My fingers need something to do. As long as my fingers are occupied, I'm okay,' explains Yannis, a three-pack addict before his latest effort to kick the habit.

A recent European Commission report noted that Greece is by far the country with the heaviest tobacco consumption, with an average of 23.38 cigarettes per head per day. A distant second were the Belgians at 18.41 a day. The grocer does it and so does the waitress in the hotel cafe. The policeman puffs away furtively while the cabbie navigates nonchalantly with one hand, a fag in his other hand. The common denominator among the Greeks is a love for smoking.

Olympic organisers have appealed to the public to cut down on smoking so that visitors will face a less smoky reception. In April, city officials brought in a sweeping new edict in an effort to clean up the municipality. People would be fined for dumping garbage on the streets - brand-new garbage dumpsters are now seen at every corner - and dog owners who failed to clean up after their pets would be in the dog house.

Smokers were especially targeted. A butt dropped on the sidewalk would result in a fine of 20 euros (HK$192). But these efforts to curtail smoking do not seem to have had any effect.

Greek Health minister Dr Nikitas Kaklamanis urged Greeks to stub out their cigarettes. 'Quit smoking, if you want to live in strength,' said the man responsible for the health of the nation. But he can't afford to talk. The doctor, who specialises in radiology, admitted that the advice was coming from the lips of a heavy smoker.