(This is not in France, but I just love the picture…)
On February 1, a partial smoking ban will become effective in France.
Smoking in most public places will become illegal, except in restaurants and bars, where the ban becomes effective in January next year.
The main goal of the ban is to protect non-smokers from contracting smoking-related diseases. According to the government, some 6,000 people die of the consequences of passive smoking.
But not all passive smokers will be safe under the new ban.
Prisons, hospitals, hotels and retirement homes have been given a permanent grace. Inmates, people with certain illnesses, psychiatric patients (80% of them smoke), elderly people and hotel guests can continue to puff away, because the place where they live is considered their “home”.
This implies that prison guards, hotel cleaners, nurses and doctors will still be exposed to tobacco smoke during their work.
It will be interesting to see when this discrimination will lead to the first legal battle between employers and employees.
Related: ‘Cigarette police’ deployed in France to enforce smoking ban
