I never thought I’d see the day, but it appears the French government is about to ban smoking in all public places starting in September, 2007. It is finally being acknowledged that second-hand smoke is causing an estimated 5000-6000 deaths in France each year. Associations of restaurants, buralists (people who run tabac shops- people who sell tobacco products), and bar owners fear a loss in business of 20-30%. They also say that deaths from second-hand smoke are caused in the home. In order to allow smoking in an establishment, that bar or restaurant will be required to provide an area that is “hermetically closed”.
Personally I applaud this move. I can recall eating in a quaint and typical restaurant in Lyon, called a “Bouchon”, and feeling strangled by the smoke by the end of the evening. Nothing can ruin a dinner in a nice French restaurant quicker than having to swallow the smoke of someone sitting near you. It tastes awful and for some people with sinus problems like me, it can literally make you sick. And even though many French restaurants have non-smoking areas these days they are often not separated from the smoking areas by much.
I’ve always thought it humorous that many French people will wail against OGM’s (genetically modified foods), and then immediately light up a cigarette. 66,000 people per year die from tobacco products in France according to statistics, but OGM’s haven’t been linked to a single death in all the years they have been used and tested, to my knowledge. Apparently opinion polls show that 70-80% of French people support a public smoking ban, however, so there has definitely been a big change of mindset in recent years. And that makes the political risk for making the move not too great or insurmountable. There will no doubt be people who will be marching in the streets in protest, but they will be a minority. Going on strike and marching in the streets is common in France- even students go on strike and march in the streets at times. That’s how the political system works there.
It remains to be seen if the new law will be respected. A similar law passed in Spain is largely being ignored in restaurants and bars, according to a recent article. I wouldn’t be surprised to see people smoking in restaurants even after the ban, but hopefully the numbers will be fewer than is typical today.
For more information about France, click here: France Travel
Also, I mentioned sinus problems above. We have a sister site dedicated to helping people with sinus problems. Please feel free to visit that site: Post Nasal Drip
