Stop smoking even on the beach and in public parks: "Where there are children, tobacco must disappear"

The French government has announced a smoking ban starting July 1 in outdoor public places where children may be present, such as "beaches, parks and public gardens, around schools, bus shelters and sports facilities."

"Where there are children, tobacco must disappear," said Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin in an interview published on the website of the regional newspaper Ouest-France.

A promise announced by the executive also in view of the World No Tobacco Day on May 31, but above all loudly requested for some time by anti-tobacco associations who feared that it would not be possible to approve such measures.

In France, smoking kills 75,000 people every year, which involves more than 200 deaths per day. Cancer costs the French state over 150 billion euros per year, a significant amount considering the financial situation of the social model across the Alps.