Consumption. Tobacco sales fall by 11.5% to their lowest level ever.

While the government wants to remove cigarettes from many public spaces, the French Observatory for Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT) noted this Friday a "continuous decline" in smoking. Following the government announcements that are due to take effect on July ¹ , the OFDT recalled in its annual report that smoking is at a "historically low level" in France. "The volume of tobacco sold in the tobacconist network decreased by 11.5% in 2024 compared to 2023," wrote the OFDT in a note detailing a 12.3% drop in cigarettes and a 13.2% drop in rolling tobacco.

This decline, which has been ongoing for several years (-7% on average between 2017 and 2024), is now uniform across the country, the authors of the report emphasize, noting in particular a decrease of the same proportions in the departments bordering Belgium, where the decline is usually more pronounced due to cross-border purchases. However, Belgium has implemented a 25% increase in tobacco prices from January 2024. Other products such as cigars, snuff, and chewing tobacco, on the other hand, have seen their sales increase by 2%.

Despite the decline in sales and smoking, "overall tobacco sales reached €19.3 billion, with average annual growth of 0.9% since 2017, driven by rising prices," notes the Observatory. In total, in 2024, 32,846 tonnes of tobacco were sold in mainland France. These figures do not take into account the black market for tobacco but reflect "the majority of the market," the authors of the report assure.

The drop in sales "is accompanied by a continued decline in smoking," which is at a "historically low level," estimates the OFDT, which refers to data from 2023. Less than a quarter of adults aged 18 to 75 reported smoking daily, according to the latest data, "the lowest prevalence ever recorded since 2000." This is explained in particular by smoking cessation aids, a practice that "increased considerably" between 2023 and 2024, starting with nicotine replacement therapy (+10% in sales), according to the reference body. "These changes show a growing interest in quitting smoking, supported by public policies," the authors further write.

On Thursday, the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, Catherine Vautrin , announced the implementation on July ¹ of a ban on smoking on beaches, in parks, public gardens, around schools, bus shelters, etc. The objective, her ministry insisted on Friday, is to create "a tobacco-free generation" and to limit the "attractiveness" of cigarettes among young people . Failure to comply with this ban, promised since the end of 2023, could result in a fine of 135 euros: "Where there are children, tobacco must disappear," justified Catherine Vautrin.

The widespread use of these spaces (including the areas around libraries, swimming pools, and sports facilities) must be accompanied by other measures: reducing the nicotine content of tobacco and vaping products, as well as limiting the flavorings in vaping products, "often designed to appeal to younger people," the ministry writes. These latter measures are causing "great concern" among addiction professionals, who fear the "counterproductive effects" of "overly restrictive supervision" of vaping.

Limiting flavors, in particular, risks "slowing down one of the most effective tools for harm reduction and quitting smoking," wrote the Addiction Federation in a press release. The government's planned general crackdown on public spaces, even if it does not apply to café terraces or e-cigarettes, constitutes a "welcome addition to [...] anti-smoking regulations," the League Against Cancer, for its part, welcomed.