France Joins Others in Implementing New Smoking Bans

Among all types of media, French culture is presented as closely associated with smoking. It is almost as if a tourist must expect to see different people smoking every two steps they take. The smoking prevalence among adults in France is a startling 29.2%, with men leading at 31.3% and women at 27.3%. This gives the impression that the French are "constantly smoking," a scene that many tourists witness when they visit French street corners and cafés in the spring. It seems that Catharine Vautrin, the Minister of Health and Labor since 2024, is eager to change this impression for the better.

Vautrin announced last Thursday that a new ban will take effect on July 1, prohibiting smoking in outdoor public spaces where children are likely to be present. Vautrin spoke to the French newspaper Ouest France about the ban and emphasized the negative effects of cigarettes on the younger generation, stating, “Smoking should be banned everywhere children are present. […] A smoke-free generation is possible, and it starts now.”

Those who do not comply with the ban will face a fine of 135 euros (approximately 6,000 TL in July 2025). In practice, this ban will prohibit smoking in many outdoor areas, such as beaches, parks, gardens, sports facilities, bus stops, and the vicinity of schools, where children are more likely to spend time. Although open-air terraces of public places are excluded from the ban for now, Vautrin did not rule out this possibility.

Given how common cigarettes are in the French lifestyle, it appears that the current and anticipated prohibitions will be significantly challenging to enforce. Dr. Mathieu Laurent, a sociologist at the Paris Institute for Public Health, explains that “The French relationship with cigarettes is fundamentally different from other Western nations. […] For many Frenchmen, smoking isn’t just a habit—it’s an extension of their identity and a form of social communication.”

Although most other countries have seen a fall in smoking rates as a result of awareness-raising campaigns, the French appear to be resistant to this approach, particularly those who grew up idolizing intellectuals like Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, who are frequently portrayed with cigarettes as tools of thought. This association still persists to this day, with many French people using “cigarette breaks” to reflect on their lives during the day. Furthermore, smoking is seen as a tool for socializing, especially in colder weather during outdoor gatherings, where smoking becomes a way to pass the time.

Due to these reasons, it is seen that the prevalence of smoking among the French is not necessarily only about enjoying a cigarette, and it can be replaced with any tool with similar social or intellectual implications. Therefore, the bans mentioned above may reduce the number of those who smoke cigarettes, but they will most probably push a quarter of France to take up vapes or electronic cigarettes. According to Vautrin, electronic cigarettes will be allowed for the time being in the abovementioned public spaces. However, she has emphasized that they want to reduce the nicotine content in these devices as well as the variety of flavors on the market by mid-2026.

It is one of the French government’s main objectives to reduce tobacco use since approximately 75,000 people die each year from tobacco-related diseases.

Under the National Tobacco Control Program announced in 2023, 26 separate measures are planned, including price increases on cigarettes, plain packaging implementation, and a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes. According to a survey conducted by the Cancer Control Association (La Ligue contre le cancer), about 80% of participants support this ban. A similar regulation on electronic cigarettes received 83% support.

France's move came immediately after Spain announced that it would prohibit smoking on bar and restaurant terraces, university campuses, vehicles used for work purposes, and at outdoor sports events. Both these actions can be seen as an extension of a trend started by the UK in late 2024. The UK had already established bans similar to those of France and Spain in 2024; however, in the same year, talks about banning cigarette sales forever for anyone born in 2008 or later made headlines. The proposed bill is still being debated in the parliament currently, but it should be said that the action was met with support from the public.

Nevertheless, in every instance, vapes and electronic cigarettes have not been subject to the same strict regulations as cigarettes. While vapes or electronic cigarettes are seen as better alternatives to cigarettes, according to the younger generation, as seen by their prevalence among teenagers, the lack of research surrounding them shouldn't be ignored. Vaping and smoking both entail heating a material and breathing in the fumes that are produced. With traditional cigarettes, the smoke from burning tobacco is inhaled. With vaping, a device heats up a liquid that is called vape juice or e-liquid until it turns into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. Vaping is associated with conditions such as “popcorn lung” and “lipoid pneumonia,” which both have no lasting treatment. Additionally, it is known for causing liquid to build up in the lungs, which is the main reason many vapers find themselves in the ER. Thus, if no action is taken against vapes or electronic cigarettes, the cigarette bans that are beginning to appear all over the world might worsen smoking-related mortality.

Türkiye is one of the few countries with a ban on the sale of vapes and electronic cigarettes. However, this doesn't prevent the younger generation from purchasing them since there are still websites and tobacco stores that illegally sell vapes imported from other countries. One of the reasons why vapes and electronic cigarettes can easily dodge regulations is that they come in hundreds of varieties. If one variation is banned, then another is created. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned flavored closed-system cartridge e-cigarettes in February 2020, except for those containing tobacco and menthol flavors. In response, the industry released products like the disposable puff bar.

As a result, if the mortality caused by cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and vapes is to be decreased, they should be viewed as a whole. The actions taken against them must be as strict as those in Türkiye, but regulations need to be enforced much more seriously and extensively if actual change is to be seen, as smoking is not only embedded in French culture but has become a “normal” for many teenagers.

Edited by: Melisa Altıntaş