The Belgian govenment in their infinite wisdom decided on a law that forbids every kind of advertising for smoking products. It's for this reason we'll probably also won't have a Formula1 championship in Belgium this year, because most of the sponsors there are from smoking products companies and they really don't care for the new law.

I myself, though I am very much against smoking and think it is a disgusting habit, don't think this law is a good thing. I don't think this national ban on smoking advertising will stop anyone from smoking. Politicians are blind if they think it will. For one, advertising does not stop at the borders. To give just one example : probably 90% of all tv channels that are on the cable here are foreign stations, which are not subjectable to the new law. Same goes (to a lesser degree) for magazines that are sold here.

That and the fact that I don't believe anyone ever started smoking because they thought the commercials looked nice. They did because of their sociological interactions with other people. (admit it : most of you started smoking because one of your friends or your whole group of friends did) Commercials only support smoking behaviour. I don't believe they create it and thus they can't also make it go away if they are forbidden.