The French say "stop to smoke". This is indicated by Santé Publique France in its latest weekly epidemiological bulletin (BEH) *. And the result is considerable: more than a million people have stopped smoking between 2016 and 2017.

For the first time since 2000, France has seen a significant drop in the smoking rate. In 2016, 29.4% of 18-75 year olds smoked daily. The following year, they were only 26.9%. "These results are encouraging, they mark a break, said Agnès Buzyn, the Minister of Health.With the rise in taxation we can hope that these results are sustainable.

The cessation of smoking mainly affects men aged 18 to 24, since about 240,000 of them gave up smoking.

Teenagers smoke less

Teens are also less attracted to tobacco. In 2017, 60% admit having tried cigarettes against 80% in 2014. However, nearly one in two teenagers confide to have already tested the shisha. Daily smoking among people under 17 has also dropped from 32.4% in 2014 to 25.1% in 2017. Currently, one in four teens smoke daily.

According to the BEH, adolescents in vocational and technical high schools do not sufficiently perceive the dangers of smoking and become smokers earlier than pupils in general education. Note that the earlier a person starts smoking early in life, the more likely they are to become a regular smoker later.

Unequal smoking by region

Not all regions are equal when it comes to smoking. The Île-de-France, the Pays de la Loire and Normandy are among the best students with an average of 23% smokers aged 18 to 75 years.

In the Hauts-de-France, Grand-Est, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côtes-d'Azur regions, the number of smokers is between 30 and 32%.

Anti-smoking treatments, neutral packs and "I (s) without tobacco"

According to the director of Public Health France, this decline in the number of smokers can be explained by the arrival of neutral packets in tobacco shops, but also by the rise in the package of treatment for anti-smoking, a value of 150 euros today, against 50 euros before. Also, the national event "Me (s) without tobacco" set up in November would encourage more French to mobilize to stop smoking.

The rise in the price of the pack of cigarettes could help to further reduce the number of smokers in the coming months. Recall that by 2020, a package will cost 10 euros, against 6.70 euros on average in 2017.

On March 28, the Minister of Health also announced, during the presentation of the anti-smoking plan "Health Prevention", the reimbursement of certain nicotine replacement treatments from May 20, 2018. For the moment, are concerned Nicotine EG chewing gum and NicoretteSkin patch, reimbursed up to 65% by Social Security. The withdrawal assistance package of 150 euros per year will be maintained until the end of the year, said Agnès Buzyn.

For the government, the goal is to intensify the fight against smoking even more. And these new results, which arrive three days before the World No Tobacco Day, organized on May 31, fall perfectly to continue the fight on this momentum.

* invs.santepubliquefrance.fr/Publications-et-outils/BEH-Bulletin-epidemiologique-hebdomadaire/Archives/2018/BEH-n-14-15-2018