People travelling to France this summer should be aware of a new law. On July 1, French police could hand out hefty fines to people every time they are caught breaking the rule.
According to a BBC report, France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that are regularly visited by children. This will include beaches, parks, outside schools, bus stops, public gardens, and sports venues.
The French Minister of Health and Family, Catherine Vautrin, told publication Ouest-France on Thursday, May 29, “Where there are children, tobacco must disappear”.
Vautrin explained that breaking the rules would incur a €135 (£113; $153) fine.
She said regular police would enforce the ban but also added that she was a great believer in “self-regulation”, reports Birmingham Live.
Although electronic cigarettes are currently exempt from existing tobacco regulations, French Health Minister Frédéric Vautrin has announced plans to introduce new restrictions on the nicotine content in these products.
Recent data from the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) shows that 23.1% of the French population smokes daily.
France has long enforced restrictions on smoking in public venues. Since 2008, smoking has been banned in indoor establishments such as restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
This may be a difficult law to remember as the UK’s own smoking rules currently only apply indoors. Since July 2007, it has been illegal to smoke in enclosed public places and workplaces in the UK.
