The war against tobacco in France is total, with health, economic, civic and ethical arguments. The new National Program to Fight Smoking, developed jointly by the Ministries of Health and Public Accounts, which runs until 2027, plans to raise the average price of a pack to 13 euros, put an end to single-use electronic cigarettes and prohibit smoking on beaches, parks, forests and around public buildings such as schools.
Despite the campaigns carried out so far and the constant increase in the price of tobacco, some 12 million French people still smoke today, which represents 25% of the adult population. The Government's objective is to move towards “a tobacco-free society”. It is hoped that, by the year 2032, we can speak of the first non-smoking generation, or almost so.
As in other countries, the process has involved a profound cultural transformation, difficult for some sectors to assimilate. One of the icons of French song of the second half of the 20th century, Serge Gainsbourg, smoked four packs of Gitanes a day. It's hard for him to see a photo of himself without a cigarette on his lips or between his fingers. Parisian intellectual bohemianism, the rebellious and hedonistic spirit after May '68, was in some way associated with the atmosphere of cafes and environmental smoke.
The presentation of the anti-smoking program, at the end of November, was carried out by the Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, who adopted a very severe and categorical tone. “Every day France pays a very high tribute for smoking,” he began by saying.
Then he moved on to the figures of the “plague”: 75,000 deaths annually; that is, 200 a day. Smoking is the main cause of preventable and early mortality – people under 65 years of age –, the first reason for deaths from cancer (45,000 per year) and cardiovascular diseases (7,500).
Rousseau put a lot of emphasis on the moral and civic responsibility of smokers, on the civic imperative, not only because of the damage they do to passive smokers – much less now because the spaces have been limited – but because their vice affects the health system. collective solidarity, specifically in the cost for healthcare.
The minister recalled that, despite the large income generated by tobacco in taxes, the balance for the State is very negative, since medical care for pathologies derived from smoking far exceeds tax collection. The final bill that all French people pay for those who smoke reaches 16.5 billion euros. “We are all losers,” warned Rousseau.
The average price of a pack will reach 12 euros in 2025, although some brands will already reach that level in 2024. During 2026 they will go to 13 euros.
The minister emphasized that the sharp rise in tobacco prices and the expansion of restrictions are not a whim of the Executive but rather are measures that have proven effective.
“Smoking bans and price increases work and are very effective,” he said. There is scientific consensus on this worldwide.”
Single-use electronic cigarettes will be banned as they are considered “a public health aberration and also an aberration due to their environmental footprint.”
The head of Health indicated that he will act on the aromas of electronic cigarettes to prevent them from being attractive to young people and the trade in small bags of nicotine will be restricted, another feared form of addiction.
In addition to punitive measures, we want to reinforce medical support for those who wish to quit tobacco. “To quit smoking, the key is to be helped, not just blamed,” Rousseau stressed.
The crusade against tobacco is implying a metamorphosis of tobacconists, which are being recycled into simple local businesses, increasingly less dependent on smokers. Its offer has expanded greatly. Multiple lotteries are very good business. The Government has just authorized them to sell ammunition to hunters, something that can be profitable in rural France because the hunting activity has a million practitioners.
