France Imposes Smoking Ban: Details of New Law; Could India Be Next?

The French government has taken a big step. French Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin has announced that smoking will be banned in public places in the country. Read more on Dynamite News

New Delhi: In view of the serious damage to health, the French government has taken a big step. French Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin has announced that smoking will be banned in public places in the country. This new law will come into effect in July 2025 and aims to protect future generations from the ill effects of tobacco.

The health minister said in an interview on Thursday that now smoking will be prohibited in crowded public places such as bus stops, parks, beaches, areas outside restaurants, and around schools. This decision has been taken keeping in mind the safety of children and youth, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

What is the new rule?

Catherine Vautrin clarified that wherever children are present, smoking cigarettes should be completely stopped. Violators of the rule will be fined 35 euros (about ₹ 3,200). However, he also said that cafe terraces and electronic cigarettes are currently exempted from this ban.

The health minister also says that this decision is not just an attempt to enforce the law but also to change the attitude towards tobacco in the society.

Worrying situation related to tobacco in France

Every day about 200 people die from tobacco in France. This figure reaches 75,000 deaths every year, which puts a serious burden on the country's health system. According to the recently published report of the French Observatory for Drugs and Addictive Trends, about 25 percent of people aged 18 to 75 years in France smoke daily.

France's initiative after Britain

This decision of France has been taken on the lines of Britain, where similar strict restrictions on smoking were recently implemented. Both countries believe that by controlling tobacco, lifestyle-related diseases can be reduced drastically in the coming years.

India's situation is even more serious.

While 75,000 deaths occur every year from tobacco in France, this figure is even more terrible in India. According to the WHO report, Tobacco kills 1.35 million people in India each year. This is equivalent to 3,699 deaths every day and 154 deaths every hour.

Moreover, more than 5,500 children in the country and over 350 in the state start consuming tobacco and other smoking products daily. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-II) 2017-18, 26.7 crore adults (28.6%) in India use tobacco, with 21.4% consuming smokeless tobacco and 10.7% smoking cigarettes and bidis.

The survey also reveals that over 5,500 children start using tobacco daily in the country.