France bans smoking on beaches, parks and schools from July

Paris, May 29 - France will ban smoking on beaches, parks, around schools and other outdoor public spaces where children may be present from July 1, French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said in an interview published on its website by regional daily Ouest-France today. Violators will face a fine of 135 euros (over 3,360 crowns), the minister said.

The government will ban smoking in places such as "beaches, parks and public gardens, around schools, bus stops, sports facilities". "Where there are children, tobacco must disappear," the minister said.

Vautrin said that the freedom to smoke "ends where children's right to breathe clean air begins".

In addition to kindergartens and primary schools, the ban will also apply to secondary schools to prevent their students from smoking in front of school buildings. The ban does not apply to cafe terraces or electronic cigarettes, but Vautrin wants to reduce the amount of nicotine allowed in these products and limit the number of flavors.

"To determine the details, I need to know the scientific and technical insights" into these measures, which should come into force in secondary schools from the end of the first half of next year, the minister added.

The widespread introduction of smoke-free zones, as announced by Vautrin, is one of the measures already included in the national smoking control program for the period 2023-2027, presented by her predecessor Aurélien Rousseau with the vision of "a tobacco-free generation by 2032". Anti-smoking organizations were concerned that the government was not taking any concrete decisions, according to AFP.

Smoking causes 75,000 deaths in France, a country of 68 million people, according to AFP. According to a survey by the League Against Cancer, 62 percent of French people are in favor of a broader ban on smoking in public places.

Czech press agency | WT.24