France will stop people from smoking on beaches and in public parks. The government wants to prevent 75,000 deaths each year from smoking-related illnesses.
The government wants to stop people from smoking by 2032. They have made some rules to help achieve this.
The French health minister, Aurélien Rousseau, said that people will not be allowed to smoke at the beach, in parks, forests, and near schools in France soon.
The minister didn’t say when exactly, but he hinted that people might get fines as soon as next year in an interview with CNN-affiliate BFMTV.
Rousseau said that the price of cigarettes will go up slowly. In 2025, a pack will cost 12 euros ($13), and in 2027, it will cost 13 euros ($14).
France had already decided in September that it would not allow disposable e-cigarettes.
“We want this plan to stop making smoking seem unimportant,” Rousseau said to BFMTV.
“He said we need to stop finding enjoyment in smoking, and we shouldn’t accept that 200 people die each day from smoking-related causes. “