France bans smoking in beaches, in parks and bus shelters
Paris: France will ban smoking on beaches and in parks, public gardens and bus shelters from Sunday, the government said.
The decree, published in the official government gazette on Saturday, will also ban smoking outside libraries, swimming pools and schools, and is aimed at protecting children from passive smoking.
The decree did not mention electronic cigarettes. Violaters of the ban will face a fine of 135 euros ($158).
"Tobacco must disappear from places where there are children," Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin had said in May, underscoring "the right of children to breathe pure air".
Cafe terraces are excluded from the ban.
Some 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France.
According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62 percent) favour a smoking ban in public places.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
France Bans Smoking In All Public Places; Violators May Face Fine Of Over Rs 13,000
Last Updated: The French Health Minister had announced a sweeping ban on smoking in public spaces in May, citing the need to protect children from passive smoking. France made good on its promise of a sweeping ban on cigarettes by banning smoking on beaches, parks, public gardens and bus shelters and other places from Sunday (June 29), the government said. As per the decree, no smoking would be permitted outside libraries, swimming pools and schools. This step is aimed at protecting children from passive smoking, although it does not mention electronic cigarettes. Violators may face a fine of 135 euros (Rs 13,517). 'Tobacco must disappear from places where there are children," Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin had said in May, adding that freedom to smoke 'stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts." The outdoor areas of cafes and bars – known as terrasses – will be exempt from the ban, BBC quoted her as saying. Some 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France. According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62%) favour a smoking ban in public places. The ban was earlier supposed to come in effect from July 1. Widespread measures to ban smoking on beaches, parks and other public places of France were meant to kick in in 2024, but the decree needed to do that was never adopted. Smoking in establishments like restaurants and nightclubs has been banned in France since 2008. Daily Mail. The government also came under pressure from acting slowly on implementing these measures. France's new law mirrors similar steps in other European countries. Countries like Britain and Sweden have already tightened smoking regulations in public spaces. Sweden banned smoking on outdoor restaurant terraces, at bus stops and near schoolyards in 2019. Spain, meanwhile, is extending its smoking ban to café and restaurant terraces – spaces that remain exempt in France, at least for now. First Published:
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
10 hours ago
- Business Standard
France bans smoking in parks, beaches, and bus stops for public health
France has struggled to kick its smoking habit. A new public health decree published Saturday aims to change that. In the coming days, smoking will be banned in all French parks and sports venues, at beaches and bus stops, in a perimeter around all schools, and anywhere children could gather in public. In a country where smoking has for generations been glamorised in cinema and intertwined with the national image, government crackdowns on tobacco use have met resistance. "In France, we still have this mindset of saying, this is a law that restricts freedom," Philippe Bergerot, president of the French League Against Cancer, told the Associated Press. The ban aims "to promote what we call denormalisation. In people's minds, smoking is normal," he said. "We aren't banning smoking; we are banning smoking in certain places where it could potentially affect people's health and ... young people." It's been illegal to smoke in restaurants, bars and public buildings since a series of bans in 2007 and 2008. Ever-higher taxes mean a pack now costs upwards of 12 euros ($14). Yet more than 30% of French adults still smoke cigarettes, most of them daily, one of the higher rates in Europe and globally. The Health Ministry is particularly concerned that tobacco remains popular among young people, citing public health statistics showing that 15% of 17-year-olds smoke. Black market cigarette trading is common. More than 200 people in France die each day of tobacco-related illness, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said in a statement Saturday. That adds up to some 75,000 deaths per year. In a Paris park as the ban loomed, views were mixed. Parisian Natacha Uzan welcomed the end of smoking in restaurants. But she said: 'Now outside, in parks, I find it becoming a bit repressive. The broader ban is a 'good thing' for Anabelle Cermell, mother of a 3-month-old boy. "'I tell myself, oh, it's really not ideal for him, but there's not much I can do about it, or I would have take the bus, not go to parks, she said. The government said last month that the new ban would take effect July 1. The official decree introducing the ban was published Saturday, and a health minister's statement said that a government order specifying the perimeters set by the ban would be published in the coming days. Electronic cigarettes are exempt from the new ban. Other European countries have gone farther. Britain and Sweden have tightened smoking regulations in public spaces. Spain is extending its smoking ban to caf and restaurant terraces, which are exempt from France's new ban.
New Indian Express
12 hours ago
- New Indian Express
France bans smoking in beaches, in parks and bus shelters
Paris: France will ban smoking on beaches and in parks, public gardens and bus shelters from Sunday, the government said. The decree, published in the official government gazette on Saturday, will also ban smoking outside libraries, swimming pools and schools, and is aimed at protecting children from passive smoking. The decree did not mention electronic cigarettes. Violaters of the ban will face a fine of 135 euros ($158). "Tobacco must disappear from places where there are children," Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin had said in May, underscoring "the right of children to breathe pure air". Cafe terraces are excluded from the ban. Some 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France. According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62 percent) favour a smoking ban in public places.
