PENN ESCAPES SMOKING PUNISHMENT
LATEST: Actor SEAN PENN has escaped charges for breaking an anti-smoking ban in Canada, while the hotel he lit up in has been slapped with a fine.
The Oscar winner puffed on a cigarette during a press conference in a hotel at the Toronto Film Festival last week (begs11SEP06), where he was promoting new movie ALL THE KING’S MEN. In the state of Ontario smoking is banned in all enclosed public places.
Although politicians and anti-tobacco campaigners called for him to be charged by police, he has escaped with just a written warning from Toronto public health officials.
Despite the leniency, Ontario Health Promotion Minister JIM WATSON insists, "We don’t have a system in Canada where we have preferential treatment for someone who’s famous or rich.
"We welcome stars and mere mortals and everyone else to Ontario and they have to respect our laws." The Toronto Sutton Place Hotel, where the incident took place, must pay C$605 ($540/£300) for the violation.
© wenn.com
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Mr Penn’s choice to smoke is his alone. But he needs to keep it where it will hurt no one else, and where he respects the laws of places he visits.
Good manners requires all guests to ask hosts “Do you mind if I smoke?”. Mr Penn didn’t ask. Has he no manners?
He could have done better in this instance. Of course, not smoking in the first place would show he is smarter than those who choose to smoke.
Comment by martin in toronto — September 18, 2006 @ 4:08 am
Sean Penn most likely did this because he is a celebraty and probablly thought he had the right to do what he wants. But its people like him that stand up for smokers who have had enough with radical and discriminating anti-smoking laws.
Your average joe could never afford the fine but people like Sean Penn have the ability and finances to stand up to laws that opress us each and every day such as the Ontario Smoke Free Act. The media and anti-smoking activits have blown this story up way out of line and have just tried to make this incident larger than it should be.
This is just another tactic by the anti-smoking movement to use to their advantage and spread their propaganda. If this was just a regular person and not Sean Penn who lit a cigarette it would never had made the papers.
Comment by Mark — September 18, 2006 @ 10:07 am