France Reduces Its Smokers
- September 7th, 2008
- Posted by Guillaume Benoist
Since the 1st February 2007, in France, it is forbidden to smoke in all close and open public places, to some exceptions: casinos, cafés, hotels, restaurants and some others.
The 1st January 2008 it will be totally illegal to smoke in public places. We can already ask ourselves if the existing measures to tackle tobacco consumption are effectives. According to a sondage made by the DNF (Droits des non-fumeurs) 82% of the French consider good the prohibition of smoking in public places. The number of smokers has diminished of 13% from 2007 to 2008. The interdiction to smoke in public places is not the only reason for this diminution of smokers: the prices of the cigarettes have increase and smokers can face a € 68 fine if caught smoking in public areas. In April 2008 the delivery of tobacco had decrease of 10, 2%. The young are the first one to have diminished their everyday consumption.
The impact this ban of tobacco in public places is having on the health of the French is considerable. In fact, the number of patients with heart attacks has decrease of 15%. “The swift reduction of heart attacks and strokes in France is very good news indeed!” has said Prof Jean Pierre Bassand, Past President of the ESC and Head of the Cardiology Department at the University Hospital of Besançon. This has also been confirmed by David Thomas of the European Society of Cardiology: ‘’to me, the most striking aspect in this study is the reduction of pollution inside cafes and restaurants by over 35 percent. Passive smoking has been shown to increase the risk of coronary heart disease and the recent smoking ban is obviously having a beneficial effect on both smokers and non-smokers.” France is not the only country in the European Union to have created a ban on smoking in public places; the same results can be constated in Italy, Sweden or Greece.
References
Image- http://blog.daix.com/category/tabagisme-passif/
Paneau Interdiction de fumer
Danger Sante- http://www.danger-sante.org/tag/interdiction-de-fumer-lieux-publics/
Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226102607.htm
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