LAW: LITTLE EFFECT ON SMOKING IN FRANCE

From France:

January 03, 2008, Yann Saint-Sernin (Liberation.fr) writes:

In France after a whole year (2008) of prohibiting smoking in cafes, bars, and restaurants, nothing much has happened in regard to the consumption of cigarettes.

The cigarette apparently has a life of its own. A year after beginning a vigorous interdiction of smoking in places of conviviality, the (smoking ban) law has had a limited impact on the sale of cigarettes in France, according to Saint-Sernin. For the most part, specialists (keenlY) point to the benefits the law (has had) on the fight against passive smoking, (while) the question of active smoking remains an embarrassing failure.

Nearly 54 billion cigarettes have been sold in France in 2008 (That amount, consumed by a population of 63 million equals about 857 cigarettes per person per year, or 2.3 cigarettes smoked per day.) The amount consumed is about the same that was sold in France in 2004. According to Altadis, cigarette sales have fallen by nearly 3% in 2008. With such a change --a limited drop slightly inferior to the (actual) sales forecast--(no one is hurt) and the distributors "don't cry on the way to the bank", stated Marie Lassale, director of communication of the enterprise (Altadis). While (there has been a modest fall in consumption) other tobacco products have risen such as the sales of loose (rolling) tobacco, which has increased by 3.3%. And again these figures do not take into account sales of contraband cigarettes, cigarettes bought from across the border, and cigarillos summed up Prof Lagrue who (describes the effects of the law) as having a moderate impact on smoking. According to this "addictologue" (Lagrue) the law has perhaps had an effect on the diminution of smoking among occasional smokers, but the "hard nut" of the heavy smokers has not budged.

In England, where (a smoking ban) law has been put in place only since the first of July 2007, a recent study of health services data has shown that the number of smokers has not diminished (so far) during the year either.

Translation RJK.