A poll for the British Broadcasting Corp. released Sunday found that more than 20 percent of Scottish smokers planned to ignore the ban. The poll found that smokers in their teens and early 20s were most likely to break the law and that men were more likely to break the law than women.

At nightclubs, pubs and restaurants across Scotland on Saturday night, thousands of smokers puffed on their final cigarettes there.

An Aberdeen pub held a tobacco "wake," a restaurant near Glasgow staged a smoking "Last Supper," and a pub in Clydebank threw a "smoking party" for charity.

Scotland became the first place in Britain to ban smoking in public places. Businesses that fail to take steps to prevent smoking on their premises face 200-pound (US$350; €290) fines, while individual offenders could be fined 50 pounds (US$87; €72).

Many Plan to Ignore Ban

Some workplaces, including adult care homes, hospices, offshore installations and submarines, are exempt from the ban. Smoking will also be allowed in police detention or interview rooms and in designated hotel bedrooms.

However, a poll for the British Broadcasting Corp. released Sunday found that more than 20 percent of Scottish smokers planned to ignore the ban. The poll found that smokers in their teens and early 20s were most likely to break the law and that men were more likely to break the law than women.

The survey questioned 1,000 adults across the country earlier this month. A margin of error was not given.

'Bullying Health Fanatics'

The lobby group Forest said smokers were being victimized and urged them to defend their rights and to stand up to "bullying by health fanatics."

"Scotland is less free than it was last week. Politicians now have a license to intrude into our private lives and there is no doubt they will continue to use it," said the group's spokesman, Neil Rafferty. "Those nonsmokers who cheered for the smoking ban should know they are simply appeasing extremists."

Both Northern Ireland and England are introducing similar bans next year, while a date has not yet been set in Wales.

Britain joins Ireland, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and several US states and cities that have restricted smoking in public places in recent years.