Veil Law, 1976 |
First French law to restrict the sales and use of tobacco products
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Simone Veil, an activist minister of health, took an initiative to fight against tobacco smoking in France in 1976. Veil banned advertising for tobacco or tobacco products, as well as tobacco sponsorship of sporting events. Veil also required tobacco companies to print severe warnings on their cigarette packages, such as "Abus Dangereuse – [Overuse is Hazardous]."
Another significant aspect of the Veil Law was to place limitations on smoking places affectés à un usage collectif (open to the public). However, the provisions designed to reduce public smoking and expand smoke-free sections were vaguely phrased. The first sentence states, “decrees of the Conseil d’état will determine the conditions under which smoking prohibitions will be established in places open to the public where this practice can have consequences dangerous to health.” There is no further specification or detail attached. Additionally, the law did not allow nonsmoking areas to be less than half of the total space in locations and vehicles where smokers and nonsmokers might be differently affected. The ambiguity of this regulatory language led to the poor implementation of the provisions, thereby failing to protect nonsmokers’ health.
Work Cited
1) Gignon, M. et al. “Le Tabagisme Passif En France : Que Dit La Science, La Loi, Le Juge ?” Revue des Maladies Respiratoires 24.2 (2007): 133–143. ScienceDirect. Web.
2) Rabin, Robert L., and Stephen D. Sugarman. Smoking Policy: Law, Politics, and Culture. Oxford University Press, 1993. Print.
1) Gignon, M. et al. “Le Tabagisme Passif En France : Que Dit La Science, La Loi, Le Juge ?” Revue des Maladies Respiratoires 24.2 (2007): 133–143. ScienceDirect. Web.
2) Rabin, Robert L., and Stephen D. Sugarman. Smoking Policy: Law, Politics, and Culture. Oxford University Press, 1993. Print.