France bans smoking at parks and beaches in effort to protect children

3 days ago

France bans smoking astatine parks and beaches successful effort to protect children

France complete nan play banned smoking successful nationalist parks, connected beaches and astatine autobus stops successful an effort to protect children.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Smokers successful France tin nary longer ray up successful nationalist parks, connected beaches aliases astatine autobus stops. A caller outdoor smoking prohibition went into effect complete nan play - nary smoking anyplace children whitethorn beryllium present, according to nan country's wellness minister. Fines commencement astatine astir $160. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley tells america more.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: This parkland successful Paris' 15th arrondissement was thronged pinch kids connected Saturday - nan past time you could relax and fume a cigaret connected nan writer here, which is what Maya Martin and her friend Joe Camara are doing. But they support nan ban.

MAYA MARTIN: I deliberation it's a bully point because there's a batch of children astir us, and it's not bully to fume astir them.

BEARDSLEY: Smoking will besides beryllium prohibited wrong 30 feet of schools, libraries and immoderate different spot wherever nan authorities says it could wounded minors. Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin called it different measurement towards a tobacco-free generation. These 29-year-olds opportunity they some started successful their early 20s, pinch nan accent of assemblage and cafe culture.

MAYA MARTIN: Glass of vino and a cigarette. So this is simply a full - really tin I opportunity that?

JOE CAMARA: A full mood?

MAYA MARTIN: Yeah, it's a mood.

CAMARA: Yeah (laughter).

BEARDSLEY: France's precocious smoking rates for Europe person travel down successful caller years, arsenic nan authorities banned smoking wrong restaurants and cafes and raised nan value of heavy taxed cigarettes. Today a battalion costs astir $15. Still, astir 23% of adults smoke. That's doubly nan complaint successful nan U.S. But a caller canvass shows 68% of French group support moreover tougher restrictions connected smoking successful public, including banning it astatine outdoor cafes and restaurants, which are exempt nether this measure.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER AND WATER SPLASHING)

BEARDSLEY: On Sunday, arsenic nan prohibition came into effect, youngsters splashed successful a reservoir successful Burgundy amidst soaring temperatures. 22-year-old Leila Guitry, who's smoked since she was 15, is sitting connected her towel connected nan beach, puffing away. She says she wasn't alert of nan ban.

LEILA GUITRY: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "But I'm against it," she says. "Come on. We're outside. There's capable abstraction to smoke."

And nan children connected nan beach?

GUITRY: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "It's ever been for illustration that," she says. "My parents were smokers, and now I smoke. That's nan measurement it is."

Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Semur-en-Auxois, France.

(SOUNDBITE OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG SONG, "C'EST SI BON")

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