France is about to take significant steps toward protecting children's health by implementing a nationwide smoking ban in outdoor areas frequented by children. Health and family minister Catherine Vautrin shared that the ban is set to commence on July 1, covering places like beaches, parks, public gardens, school perimeters, bus stops, and sports venues. "Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Vautrin stated in an interview with Ouest-France daily. She emphasized the crucial balance between individual freedom to smoke and children's right to breathe clean air.
Tobacco in outdoor cafes and bar terraces is an exception to this directive. Fines for non-compliance will be set at €135 (£113; $153), with enforcement relying on both regular police and a system of "self-regulation" that Vautrin believes in. While the new law does not address electronic cigarettes directly, Vautrin is working to impose limits on their nicotine content.
Current statistics from the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction reveal that smoking rates among the French population have dropped to 23.1%, the lowest recorded figure, which is a decrease of over five percentage points since 2014. Despite ongoing anti-smoking measures, over 75,000 smokers in France succumb to tobacco-related illnesses yearly, accounting for 13% of all deaths in the country.
Although France has had an indoor smoking ban in restaurants and nightclubs since 2008, previous plans to extend outdoor smoking prohibitions to various public spaces were delayed. Nevertheless, more than 1,500 municipalities proactively enforced smoking bans in public areas, and many beaches embraced non-smoking policies years ago. A survey by the cancer advocacy group La Ligue Contre le Cancer indicates a broad public consensus, with nearly 80% of the population supporting smoking restrictions in outdoor environments such as forests, beaches, and parks.
