[Intl-tobacco] France: Thinking About Smokefree

[robert weissman]

Smoky caf=E9s headed for the ashtray? - International Herald Tribune

Friday, April 28, 2006

By Doreen Carvajal
International Herald Tribune

PARIS Imagine French caf=E9 culture without the morning ritual of black
coffee and
vaporous blue drifts of Gitanes and Gauloises smoke served alongside the
petit
d=E9jeuner.

President Jacques Chirac took a cautious step Thursday toward such a future=
,
unveiling a proposal at the =C9lys=E9e Palace to fight cancer and dangling
the prospect
of a government decision on banning smoking in public places.

But he was not ready to stub out the cigarette entirely.

"A debate and a thorough dialogue must take place" as a preliminary
step, Chirac
said, adding that "the final decisions will be made before the end of
the year."

Anti-smoking groups were not entirely pleased, sensing weakness in his
resolve to
follow through with an outright ban that Chirac's right-of-center
government had
promised to push through Parliament.

Xavier Bertrand, the health minister, confirmed this month that the ban
was on the
agenda and that he intended to address it as quickly as possible. But
with the
government's retreat on labor law reform, Bertrand then started
promoting the
importance of "vast consultation" on the issue.

Nicolas Villain, co-director of the National Committee Against Tobacco,
could only
exhale a long sigh when asked whether he was optimistic that France
would adopt a
ban, following countries like Ireland, Italy and Spain.

"Concerning this problem," he said, "there is a lack of political
courage. It is
good that President Chirac mentioned this subject. We are quite sure
that something
will come. The question is, Will it be a clear, simple and courageous
decision? Or
will it be something halfway, with smoking rooms to try to be nice to
everybody?"

Opposition politicians were also wary of a delay, fearing that political
will could
diminish further with pressure from the unions for tobacco sellers.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Yves Bur, a member of Parliament
who had
earlier proposed a smoking ban in companies, said: "The closer we get to th=
e
presidential election, the slimmer the chances are to see a total ban in
public
spaces."

The French love of tobacco dates to the 16th century, when Jean Nicot,
the French
ambassador to Portugal, sent tobacco seeds home and promoted the product
as a
panacea with medicinal qualities. Nicotine gets its name from him. And
today more
than 15 million people smoke in France - greater than 30 percent of
adults - down
from a peak of more than half in the 1980s.

A government poll indicated that 78 percent of those surveyed favored a
total
smoking ban in public spaces, although fewer were ready to extend that
to caf=E9s.

Old habits die hard. Amid politicking on the issue this month, a
photograph in
Lib=E9ration showed a smoker in the corridors of the National Assembly,
right next to
a no smoking sign.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/27/news/smoke.php


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Chirac Says France Mulls Smoking Ban in Public Places - Bloomberg News

April 27, 2006

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- French President Jacques Chirac, outlining a
plan to help
combat cancer, said his government may ban smoking in public places.

A decision will be reached by the end of the year, Chirac said today in
Paris. It
will be part of a broader plan to fight addiction to tobacco, marijuana
and alcohol.


``These addictions are major cancer causes,' Chirac said in a speech at
the Elysee
palace. ``They are diseases and should be treated as such. Addiction
should become a
key area for medical and pharmaceutical research.'

The number of smokers in France has dropped by 1.4 million over the past
three
years, Chirac said. A smoking ban would help further reduce that number
and cut down
on second-hand smoking, he said. A health and safety authority study
published in
March showed that 60,000 people die every year in France directly from
smoking and
3,000 to 5,000 others die of second-hand smoke.

``We don't need to wait to set up the ban, the more we wait the closer
we get to the
presidential election, the slimmer the chances are to see a total ban in
public
spaces,' Yves Bur, the member of Parliament who first proposed a smoking
ban at
companies in October 2005 and is a leading advocate of the tobacco ban,
said in a
telephone interview.

Portugal is also studying a plan to ban smoking in venues such as bars,
restaurants
and discotheques. Ireland, Italy and Spain have already implemented
similar bans.

Stalling?

On April 12, French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand said the government
would
conduct a ``broad study' of all possibilities to limit the effect of
smoking in
public spaces. His cabinet was accused by political analysts and
anti-smoking groups
of watering down the ban plan, fearing it would add to anger against the
government,
which was facing protests on a youth labor law. France faces a
presidential vote in
May 2007.

``What now? Are they going to eat away at our freedom?' said Rene Le
Pape, the head
of the tobacco sellers' unions said on LCI television after the minister
said he
would gather all involved in the tobacco industry. ``They don't
understand French
people want to have their ``petit noir' (black coffee) with a cigarette
at the cafe
in the morning,' he said.

The government is facing mounting pressure from tobacco sellers and
restaurant
industry groups, who fear they'll lose customers. The groups met three
times with
the health minister in the past two months to discuss ``feasible
agreements,' the
ministry said in March.

Ban Support

A poll commissioned by the government in February and published in Le
Figaro on
March 24 defies ban opponents' claims.
According to the IFOP poll, 78 percent of people surveyed favoured a
total smoking
ban in public spaces, while 74 percent said they don't want to smell the
smoke while
eating in restaurants. Fifth-seven percent wanted a smoking ban in cafes.
``The vast majority of French people now are convinced they want the
ban,' Bur said,
``and the tobacco lobbies' fight, faced with all these deaths, is just
disgraceful.'


To contact the reporter on this story:
Marthe Fourcade at  mfourcade@bloomberg.net