France to ban smoking on beaches as it seeks to avoid 75,000 tobacco-related deaths per year

PARIS (AP) — France’s government plans to ban smoking on all beaches, in public parks, forests and some other public areas. The measures are part of a national anti-tobacco plan presented by the health minister, who says tobacco products cause 75,000 avoidable deaths a year in France. He says the government will introduce legislation next year to enlarge the scope of places where fines can be levied for smoking. He says bans on smoking on beaches and parks will become “a general rule.” Legislators are also looking to ban single-use disposable e-cigarettes, with an initial vote on a draft law to outlaw them scheduled in the National Assembly next month.