The French government announced on Tuesday a comprehensive anti-smoking plan that includes banning smoking on beaches, near public buildings like schools, and in public parks and forests starting next year. The plan also aims to make smoking more expensive and less attractive, particularly to younger people, as part of an ambitious effort to produce the first "no-tobacco generation" by 2032.
Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau, speaking at a news conference in Paris, acknowledged the progress made in reducing smoking rates among 17-year-olds, which dropped from 25 percent in 2017 to 16 percent in 2022. However, he emphasized that "tobacco remains a major public health scourge," with nearly a quarter of French adults, or about 12 million people, still smoking daily.
Smoking Remains Leading Cause of Avoidable Deaths in France
Despite decades of declining smoking rates, the trend has remained roughly unchanged since 2019, according to French public health authorities. Smoking continues to be the leading cause of avoidable mortality in France, causing about 75,000 deaths per year.
Rousseau stated that the government aims to continue "de-normalizing" smoking in outdoor settings by making smoking-authorized areas the exception rather than the rule. While local authorities had already banned smoking at more than 7,000 outdoor locations, including beaches, forests, and parks across the country, there was no nationwide ban until now.
Expanding Smoke-Free Zones
The government will implement widespread outdoor smoking bans in 2024. These restrictions will cover:
- Public beaches
- Forest areas
- Parks and recreational spaces
- Areas near schools and other public buildings
This nationwide policy builds upon existing local bans at over 7,000 outdoor locations. While enforcement details remain under development, violators will face financial penalties.
Government Targets Young People with Ban on Disposable Vapes
In addition to the outdoor smoking ban, the government plans to make tobacco increasingly unattractive to young people by banning disposable, single-use vapes that are heavily marketed toward teenagers. Rousseau described these vapes, nicknamed "puffs" in France, as "each more colorful and attractive than the last" but "an aberration from the point of view of public health or of their environmental impact."
The government also intends to extend the requirement for plain packaging, which is already mandatory for cigarette packs, to all tobacco and vaping products.
Anti-Smoking Groups Call for Stronger Measures
While anti-smoking campaigners welcomed some of the measures announced by Rousseau, they argued that the government needs to act more forcefully to push up the price of cigarettes if it wants to achieve its goal of a "no-tobacco generation" by 2032.
French officials aim to raise cigarette prices to €13 ($14) per pack by 2027, up from the current €12 average. However, anti-smoking advocates like Marion Catellin from the Alliance Against Tobacco push for steeper increases to €16 per pack.
To support cessation efforts, pharmacists will gain authority to prescribe nicotine replacement medications. This move addresses France's concerning statistics:
- 12 million daily adult smokers (24% of population)
- 75,000 smoking-related deaths annually
- Higher smoking rates than the US (11.5%)
Implementation Timeline
The government plans to enact most measures by early 2024 through executive decrees. The disposable vape ban requires parliamentary approval, expected next month. These reforms mark France's most significant anti-smoking initiative since indoor smoking bans took effect over a decade ago.
