In France, cigarette packages are required to be a drab dark green, with the brand written plainly. The packs also must contain a health warning and often have a photo illustrating the dangers of smoking. Here is a pack of Marlboro Red bought in Paris with a health warning reading, "Smoking causes nine out of 10 cancers of the lung." (Photo: Jabeen Bhatti|ARA Network Inc.)PARIS – The glamorous image of cool Parisians lighting up a Gauloises while lounging at a street-side café may soon go up in smoke.

The French government is stubbing out the country’s love affair with tobacco.

"In France, tobacco kills 200 people every day,” said Health Minister Agnès Buzyn. “We need to continue this fight against one of the biggest scourges of public health.”

In recent years, France has moved to feature gruesome photos of diseased lungs on cigarette packs while also forcing companies to take brands off the covers and other deterrent measures such as government reimbursement of cessation aids. Steep taxes have pushed a pack of cigarettes to around $9 and to $12 by 2020.

The measures appear to be working.

The number of people smoking on a daily basis in France dropped from 13.2 million to 12.2 million from 2016 to 2017, according to recent French Health Ministry figures.

Still, the same data showed that 27 percent of the French continue to light up daily, a number that is among the highest rates of smoking in the European Union.

Around 14 percent of the US population smokes cigarettes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

“We must drop down to the rates of Anglo-Saxon countries, to around 15-16 percent,” said Buzyn.

But that’s not an easy goal in France, since it would mean changing the long-entrenched café culture the French seem reluctant to give up.

Tucked in the residential neighborhood behind Montmartre Hill – a neighborhood once frequented by artists like Pablo Picasso – La Renaissance is a 1930s-era café known among locals for its laid-back atmosphere and among movie buffs for appearing in Quentin Tarantino’s film “Inglorious Basterds.”

No matter the weather, the outdoor tables are always packed with customers puffing away while chatting with friends or watching the world go by.

Since smoking was outlawed inside public spaces in 2007, and smokers have had to light up outside on the terrace, though some venues allow smokers to indulge in their habit inside after officially closing for the day.

“Smoking is one of life’s pleasures, and part of the ritual of meeting among friends,” said Benjamin Gourio, 44, who works in communications and said he has no plans to give up his two-pack-a-day habit. “I have been smoking since I was 16. It was pleasurable to meet with friends after school and have a smoke.”

His 46-year-old sister, Sylvie, on the other hand, has no regrets about quitting her one-pack-a-day habit that she acquired, like many in France, while attending high school. “I had to stop smoking because I didn’t have a choice: My doctor warned me I faced living with respiratory failure if I didn’t give up,” she said.

Two years ago, Gourio began a program with France’s National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction, a government-backed organization that offers free-of-charge support to quit smoking. The group offers regular counseling sessions, nicotine patches and chewing gum.

As a result, Gourio has been smoke-free ever since. She has even discovered a few unexpected benefits.

“I have recovered my sense of smell: It’s nice to be able to smell freshly baked bread at the boulangerie,” she said, referring to the ubiquitous small bakeries in France. “I have also taken up sports, like running, swimming and judo, which in a way have replaced my cigarette addiction.”

It’s a trend that increasingly resonates with French urban millennials who are far more health oriented and environmentally aware than older generations in France. Vegan, gluten-free cafes and juice bars are fast replacing traditional bistros as favorite hangouts in Paris, and these days, it’s not unheard of to swap a leisurely lunch – once a staple of French life – to go to the gym.

“The new generations have a different attitude and will change the image of the 1960s French, sitting at a cafe with a drink and a cigarette,” said Dr. Christophe Cutarella, an addiction psychiatrist and member of the scientific board at the Ramsay Générale de Santé Foundation, a hospital group.

The changes in behavior are clearly reflected in the declining number of younger smokers.
Last year, the number of smokers among men between the ages of 18 and 24 dropped to 35%, compared with 44% in 2016.

Whipping out a cigarette has become less cool, said Emmanuelle Beguinot, director of anti-smoking association CNCT.

“Even if tobacco consumption remains important in France, its image is not what it used to be,” said Beguinot.

A version of this story can be found in USA Today.
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