{"id":201020,"date":"2025-06-20T22:44:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T22:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/201020\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T22:44:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T22:44:13","slug":"france-made-smoking-sexy-now-its-banning-the-habit-in-public-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/201020\/","title":{"rendered":"France made smoking sexy. Now it\u2019s banning the habit in public spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A smoking ban in parks is part of France’s move to address second-hand smoke near children.SIEGFRIED MODOLA\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

The country that made smoking look glamorous, sexy and cool is now going further than most in trying to stamp out the habit.<\/p>\n

As of July 1, France<\/a> will ban smoking in nearly all public spaces, including parks, beaches, public gardens and bus stops. Violations carry a fine of as much as \u20ac135, or $212, and just about the only exceptions are France\u2019s iconic caf\u00e9 terraces and electronic cigarettes. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s all part of a move by the country\u2019s Health Ministry to address second-hand smoke anywhere near children. <\/p>\n

\u201cTobacco is poison: it kills, it costs money, it pollutes. And above all, it targets our young people,\u201d Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said in a statement last month as she announced the new restrictions. She added: \u201cOur goal is clear: a generation without tobacco. And we have the means to achieve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polls show the ban has widespread support, and the number of people who smoke in France has fallen to historic lows \u2013 less than 25 per cent of adults light up. <\/p>\n

Blowing smoke: Big Tobacco is getting a whole new generation hooked on nicotine<\/a><\/p>\n

But for some it\u2019s still hard to imagine France going smokeless after decades of romanticizing cigarettes in film, fashion and culture. <\/p>\n

The image of smokey Parisian caf\u00e9s filled with stylish people chatting over cigarettes has been ingrained in our consciousness. And who can forget Brigitte Bardot or Catherine Deneuve lounging seductively in countless films, a cigarette dangling from their lips? Or fashion icon Coco Chanel, who reportedly smoked 50 cigarettes a day?<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The amount of people who smoke in France has fallen to historic lows \u2013 less than 25 per cent of adults light up.SIEGFRIED MODOLA\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ban won\u2019t work,\u201d said Giovanni Vannomi as he took a drag on a cigarette last week during a break from his job as a tour guide at the Louvre. \u201cIf they try to enforce it, they are going to start another revolution here.\u201d <\/p>\n

Over in the Tuileries Garden, Laila Alem sat on a patch of grass with three friends, each of them enjoying the warm spring evening and a newly lit cigarette. She too was dead set against the restriction. <\/p>\n

\u201cI understand if it\u2019s for the children and near schools. But here, there is a big space. I don\u2019t understand why the ban is everywhere, like all the parks and not only near the children\u2019s area,\u201d Ms. Alem said, thrusting her cigarette forward to make a point.<\/p>\n

Sitting across from her, James Balde waved off her concerns and said the ban made sense and might even force him to stop smoking. \u201cIt\u2019s a good idea,\u201d he said. \u201cOn July 1, I will quit smoking.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he was not convinced that many French smokers will comply. \u201cIf you come back on July 2 or July 10, or even next year, people will be smoking here. If you don\u2019t have a policeman or security, they won\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next to him, Catherine Guyot had a more cynical assessment of the motivation behind the ban. \u201cThe government just needs money, that\u2019s why,\u201d she said, referring to the fines. She also doubted that any of them would stop smoking. \u201cWe all smoke a lot,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Across from the garden, Anthony Fontaine was far more upbeat about the measure. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a bad idea,\u201d he said as he enjoyed a cigarette while sitting on a bench outside the Louvre. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be complicated to make it effective, especially for the French. But other than that, it\u2019s pretty positive, just to keep parks clean from those who don\u2019t really dispose of their cigarettes where they should.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The ban takes effect July 1, and covers parks, beaches, public gardens and bus stops.SIEGFRIED MODOLA\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

France isn\u2019t the only European country taking a tougher line on smoking.<\/p>\n

Spain is close to adopting regulations to ban both smoking and vaping from school playgrounds, university campuses, bus shelters, outdoor entertainment venues and terraces. The Italian city of Milan has extended its already strict outdoor ban to include streets and crowded public areas. And the British Parliament is expected to approve legislation soon that the government says will create the first smoke-free generation by making it illegal for anyone 15 or younger to ever buy cigarettes. <\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, the tobacco<\/a> industry has pushed back. Cigarette makers argue sweeping prohibitions are ineffective and say it\u2019s not clear that smoking in parks or on beaches poses a major health risk to non-smokers. <\/p>\n

Smokers visiting France this summer won\u2019t be immune from the ban or the fine, and many may find the restrictions something of a shock. <\/p>\n

Margarita Pidrasa, who was visiting Paris from Santiago, last week, was incredulous when told that she and her husband, Alberto Labbe, would soon be unable to smoke in the square outside the Louvre. \u201cWhere are the signs that say this?\u201d she asked as she looked around the giant space. <\/p>\n

They both agreed with the government\u2019s desire to protect children, but felt tourists should be better informed about the penalty.<\/p>\n

Even if there were a \u201cNo Smoking\u201d sign around, Mr. Labbe said, he probably would still fire up an illicit smoke in the park or on the beach. \u201cNo, I will keep smoking,\u201d he said with a smile as he finished off a cigarette while standing under a shady tree. Then he dropped the butt in the dirt, ground it with his foot and headed off with his wife to rejoin their tour group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: A smoking ban in parks is part of France’s move to address second-hand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[6934,6925,6935,1500,6918,6936,943,6917,6930,6931,6927,6919,6916,1700,2266,728,2000,299,6929,6923,36,6946,6920,6921,1234,6926,388,3611,6607,603,6941,6942,6944,6939,6943,6937,6940,6922,6932,6933,285,3027,6938,6924,53,183,6928,727,263,6945],"class_list":{"0":"post-201020","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-canada-news","16":"tag-canada-sports","17":"tag-canada-sports-news","18":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","19":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","20":"tag-canadian-news","21":"tag-economy","22":"tag-education","23":"tag-environment","24":"tag-eu","25":"tag-europe","26":"tag-federal-government","27":"tag-foreign-news","28":"tag-france","29":"tag-globe-and-mail","30":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","31":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","32":"tag-government","33":"tag-life-news","34":"tag-lifestyle","35":"tag-local-news","36":"tag-manitoba","37":"tag-national-news","38":"tag-new-brunswick","39":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","40":"tag-northwest-territories","41":"tag-nova-scotia","42":"tag-nunavut","43":"tag-ontario","44":"tag-pei","45":"tag-photos","46":"tag-political-news","47":"tag-political-opinion","48":"tag-politics","49":"tag-politics-news","50":"tag-quebec","51":"tag-sports-news","52":"tag-technology","53":"tag-travel","54":"tag-trudeau","55":"tag-us-news","56":"tag-world-news","57":"tag-yukon"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}