France Brings Big Smoking Ban to Beaches, Bus Stops from July 1st

Starting this July, France is putting in place a wide ban on smoking in many open public places like beaches, public parks, bus shelters, and areas outside schools, libraries, and swimming pools, as part of a major push to protect children and adults from secondhand smoke and move towards a smoke-free future, with the government saying that this step is part of a bigger national effort to cut down tobacco use and create a healthier public environment.

The French Health Minister, Catherine Vautrin, who had announced this move earlier, said the aim is to make sure kids are not exposed to harmful smoke, and she made it very clear that “wherever there are children, smoking must disappear,” adding that France can achieve a “smoke-free generation” if changes start now.

This new rule, which has been published in the official government gazette, does not include café terraces and bar patios for now, but the health minister hinted that future bans in those areas might come later, and while electronic cigarettes are not banned under the current rule, the government has plans to regulate their nicotine content and flavours more strictly by mid-2026.

Enforcing this ban will be the responsibility of local authorities across France, and anyone caught smoking in these newly banned areas could face a fine of €135, as confirmed by the French Council of State, which is still ironing out the final legal details of the framework.

This smoking ban is just one part of a larger anti-smoking plan announced in November last year, which includes 26 measures like increasing the price of tobacco, introducing plain packaging for cigarette products, and controlling the sale and content of vaping devices more strictly.

Public support for this move is already strong, as a survey by the Ligue contre le cancer found that nearly 80% of French citizens are in favour of banning smoking in public places, and about 83% also support placing tighter restrictions on e-cigarettes, a sign that the majority of people in France are ready to back stricter anti-smoking efforts to reduce the nearly 75,000 deaths caused by tobacco every year.