Violation of smoking ban in France
The French are Not Afraid of Penalties as They Smoke in Prohibited Areas
When French Government banned smoking in indoor public areas in 2007, local smokers surprisingly showed little discontent. In nearly one day ashtrays disappeared from restaurants, office centers, malls and public transport stations while smokers obediently started lighting up outside, as it is the only place where smoking is legally allowed.
However, as we are in France, the change was nearly inevitable. In conformity with a report, revealed last week by a public-health organization, the initial compliance with the law has currently turned into a huge wave of violation of smoking ban.
The Coalition for Non-Smokers’ Rights (NSR) claims it had gathered information proving that the anti-smoking legislation is now being flouted much more than it was in 2007, when the legislation entered into force.
Research demonstrates that complaints of non-smokers, which went down from almost 43% before the ban was implemented to only 9% in 2008, has currently risen to 21%, claim NSR officials.
The NSR spokesman said that the reason for such increased number of violations is the lack of enforcement, which made smokers care less about possible penalties ranging from $200 to $500. Some office workers now even dare to smoke at their desks instead of going outside like other smokers, since many employers don’t oblige them to get outside for a puff.
Moreover, it is a common situation not just in the offices. The lack of enforcement permits smokers to puff in many other public venues. So, many tobacco-lovers simply light up in cafes and managers frequently avoid requiring them to stop fearing that they will leave the venue.
In addition, many café-owners have built outside patios to accommodate smoking patrons in accordance with the legislation. In reality, these terraces are often located beside the entrance door of the venue, and non-smokers have to pass these sanctuaries of smoke in order to get inside the café. And, in cold period the owners enclose their terraces with glass and plastic to protect their smoking customers from snow and cold, so the concentration of the tobacco smoke inside these terraces becomes almost impossible to bear for non-smokers.
The NSR also states that French smokers even started lighting up in the places they never smoked. For instance, many smokers have been seen in Paris Metro, where it is officially prohibited.
“I don’t think someone is offended by me smoking here, but if someone is, he can move to other end of the platform,” said Etienne Villiers, an engineer, 41, “Of course, I will put my cigarette down if I see a police officer coming, but in other cases, I should I avoid smoking here if I want to do it. The bottom point is that there are many smells here much more odious than cigarette smoke.
The owner of a small café with an enclosed patio where up to 20 smokers were enjoying their afternoon with a coffee and cigarette said that non-smokers have to respect smokers’ right to puff where it is legally allowed to, as it is fair and definitely not hurts them, as they have a whole premise accommodated to fit their requirements.
