France's smoking ban: Germany should finally follow suit!

France's smoking ban: Germany should finally follow suit!

In Germany there is movement in the discussion about non-smoker protection. In view of the new regulations in France, where a comprehensive ban on smoking in public places will apply from July 1, 2023, experts and organizations are calling for similar measures here too. In France, the ban in beaches, parks, school environments, bus stops and sports facilities is intended to ensure the protection of non-smokers, especially children, and is enforced with fines of up to 135 euros for non-compliance. Meanwhile, smoking remains permitted in outdoor areas of restaurants, while e-cigarettes are exempt from this regulation. As reported by [Deutschlandfunk](https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/rauchverbot-in-frankreich-find-anhaenger-in-deutschland-welche-steps- Werden-geford-100.html), the French ban is welcomed by the German Cancer Society, which points out that Germany is lagging behind when it comes to protecting non-smokers.

In this context, the new Federal Health Minister Nina Warken not only criticizes the inadequate measures in Germany, but also calls for stricter regulation of e-cigarettes and vaporizers. These are considered more dangerous than many people assume and can encourage people to start smoking. According to Warken, these products contain substances that are harmful to health and need to be regulated. With this in mind, the federal government has included e-cigarettes in the Federal Non-Smoker Protection Act. However, responsibility for their implementation largely lies with the federal states, which makes implementation correspondingly more difficult, as Tagesschau discusses.

Necessary measures and international role models

The German Cancer Aid and the German Cancer Society are calling for extensive prevention measures, especially with regard to World No Tobacco Day. Tobacco consumption is the largest preventable risk factor for cancer, with around 80% of lung cancer cases in Germany being smoking-related. Every year, the consequences of tobacco consumption claim at least 127,000 lives in Germany. The need for preventative measures is therefore clear: Germany is considered to be at the bottom of the list when it comes to tobacco prevention in a European comparison.

A particularly pressing problem are flavored tobacco products, which the WHO considers to be particularly harmful and which make it easier to “start” nicotine addiction, especially among adolescents and young adults. It is estimated that 12.5% ​​of minors in the WHO European Region used e-cigarettes in 2022, compared to just 2% of adults. These numbers highlight the urgency of action, and more than 50 countries have already banned flavored tobacco products. The WHO is also calling for a ban on flavors in tobacco products in order to counteract an impending wave of addiction.

The French initiative and the demands from Germany continue to keep the discussion about non-smoking protection and tobacco regulation alive. It remains to be seen whether pressure will continue to grow on the federal government to create a stronger and more effective regulatory environment that takes into account the health of both non-smokers and smokers. In the meantime, there remains hope for more comprehensive legislation that will ultimately help to sustainably reduce smoking rates and protect society from the health risks of tobacco consumption.