In effort to protect children, France bans smoking at parks and beaches

A female smokes a cigaret astatine Kerlouan successful Brittany successful France connected May 30. The state is banning smoking successful galore nationalist places. Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

PARIS — A restrictive outdoor smoking ban has travel into unit successful France, a state wherever café culture, which often includes a solid of vino and a cigarette, is simply a measurement of life.

As of Sunday, smokers are nary longer allowed to ray up successful nationalist parks, astatine swimming pools, aliases astatine beaches, aliases "anywhere children whitethorn beryllium present," said French wellness and family curate Catherine Vautrin, who pushed for nan ban. Violators tin look fines ranging from nan balanced of astir $150 to respective 100 dollars.

"Tobacco must vanish from places wherever location are children," said Vautrin. "A park, a beach, a schoolhouse — these are places to play, learn, and breathe. Not for smoking."

Smoking is besides prohibited wrong astir 30 feet of schools, libraries, autobus stops, and immoderate different spot wherever nan authorities says it could wounded minors. The wellness ministry said it would soon uncover signs to designate specified areas. Vautrin called it different measurement "towards a tobacco-free generation," which she said France is targeting for 2032.

A canvass out successful May showed that 68% of French are for tighter restrictions connected smoking successful public, and moreover bans astatine outdoor cafés and restaurants, which are exempt nether nan existent ban.

Supporters included 29-year-olds Maya Martin and Joe Camara, who were sitting successful nan writer successful a Paris park, talking and smoking nan time earlier nan prohibition went into effect.

"I deliberation this is simply a bully point because it's not bully to fume astir children," said Martin. "That's why we're sitting distant from each nan kids, because different we won't beryllium a bully illustration for them."

Both said they started smoking astatine assemblage because of accent and because it was what everybody did. "Yeah, I started successful nan discourse of drinks and coffees astatine cafés," said Camara.

Both said they are readying to quit, though Martin said it mightiness beryllium hard. "A solid of vino and a cigaret astatine a café, that's benignant of portion of French culture," she laughed. "It's a temper and yeah, possibly that's why I started to smoke."

The French authorities banned smoking wrong restaurants and bars successful 2008 and has raised nan value of cigarettes complete nan years successful an effort to trim smoking. Today a battalion costs astir $15. But this is nan astir restrictive outdoor prohibition ever to beryllium enacted.

Smoking rates person travel down successful caller decades. About 23% of French adults fume each day, according to authorities data from 2023. Though that is doubly arsenic precocious arsenic nan smoking complaint among American adults, which was 11.6% successful 2022, according to nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Smoking and smoking-related diseases termination 75,000 group successful France each year, and costs French nine nan balanced of much that $180 cardinal annually, says the OFDT (l'Observatoire francais des drogues et des tendances addictives) a French addiction study group.

The caller rule does not see e-cigarettes. Critics opportunity this defangs nan measure, arsenic e-cigarette companies pull young people pinch different flavored vapes.

As nan prohibition came into effect connected a broiling basking Sunday, adults and children splashed distant successful a reservoir successful nan Burgundy colony of Pont-et-Massène. Jeremy Brigon watched from nan beach. The 69-year-old nary longer smokes, but he thinks this rule is excessive.

"It's excessively much," says Brigon. "People shouldn't fume adjacent schools, but there's capable room connected a formation for group to beryllium capable to smoke."

Leila Guitry and Frank Chauvin were puffing distant connected their towels contempt nan ban. They opportunity they knew thing astir it because they're excessively engaged moving and don't person clip to watch nan news. The 22- and 25-year-olds opportunity they've some smoked since they were 16. And they're perfectly against nan measure. "We're extracurricular and there's capable room to beryllium capable to smoke," says Guitry.

But what astir influencing young people?

"It's ever been for illustration that," she says. "Kids spot group smoking. My parents fume and I fume now. That's nan measurement it is."