France an epitome of smoking ban success
The ban on smoking in public places in India came into effect on Thursday while that in France was implemented earlier in 2008. Just like in India, smokers protested at first against the ban in France too. Some said it was a question of liberty and others mourned the death of the caf culture where the coffee with the cigarette was a must. However, over the period of time, an overwhelming number have come around to support the ban.
French caf s may have lost some of their smoker clientele, but the country where 30 per cent of the population smoked, the ban has been overwhelming approved by 82 per cent of the population. Some of those who approved of the ban are still smokers. J r me Delassus smokes as much as he did before the ban, but not in public spaces. The ban was not as hard to respect as he had imagined and now he has found a new caf routine.
“I realised it was possible to have a coffee without the cigarette or to smoke a cigarette after the coffee, for example in the street. I am a smoker but I have children too and I go to caf s more easily with my children now,” said J r me. European experts say the ban on public smoking is not designed to punish the smoker but to save the passive smoker. The side stream smoke created in between puffs is more toxic than the smoke inhaled by a smoker.
It may be too early to say whether the ban makes people smoke less, but studies show that in France there has already been an 11-15 per cent drop in the number patients admitted in hospitals with myocardial infarction.
“There has been one major gain that we notice immediately that it’s a big victory for the non smokers,” said Joseph Osman, director, French Bureau of Smoking.
In France, as in other European countries, not many have had to pay the heavy fines for smoking in public areas as most smokers have readily complied.
The ban on smoking has always been met with some resistance in almost every country it was introduced. But the primary reason why it has been largely successful in Europe is not strict law enforcement but people accepting that lighting up in public is not politically correct anymore.
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Tags: Cigarette Smoking