Many laws but little adherence
Of course we have plenty of very strict laws in Greece, there has never been a problem on that count. When it comes to enforcing them, though, it is a completely different matter. A good example of this paradox is the smoking ban, which was supposed to go into effect last year. The intention was to prohibit smoking in most indoor public spaces, or at least those that had not applied for a special license. The publicity campaign to promote this measure cost a good chunk of money and nobody could claim not to know about the ban, as it was discussed far and wide. Since then, however, nothing appears to have changed. People continue to smoke at will and it seems that no one is interested in imposing the law. In cases such as this one, maybe the government should consider repealing the law or getting around to imposing it, because this widespread phenomenon of laws that are not enforced simply reinforces a culture of lawlessness, encourages the wrong mentality toward law and order and makes impunity a matter of course.
