Grand Est: launch of the “Tobacco-Free Town Hall – Tobacco-Free City” project

Three cities in the Grand Est region are participating in the experimental project of “Free City without tobacco” which will be launched in November 2020 on the occasion of No Tobacco Month. The main challenge of this project is to be part of the perspective of a Tobacco-free generation planned for 2032 and to work towards its realization.

Through a project funded by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of the Grand Est and the interministerial mission to combat drugs and addictive behavior (MILDECA), three cities in the Grand Est region: Joinville (52), Mulhouse (68) and Thionville as well as its urban community “Portes de France” (57) participate in the project of “Free Town Hall without Tobacco – Free City without Tobacco”. In the interests of setting an example, the town halls of the three municipalities will be the first to implement the project. by eliminating all exposure to passive smoking and supporting smoking agents who want to quit.

The ambition is to improve the health and quality of life of residents whether they are smokers or not by gradually extending the program to the entire city. (Smoke-free public spaces, awareness and prevention operations, monitoring of the current application of tobacco legislation - verification of the ban on sales to minors, ban on smoking in smoke-free areas - ...)

With a higher proportion of smokers in the region (30.1%) than at the national level (26.9%), these three cities have decided to take action. They want to contribute to curbing the problem of smoking in their locality and in this way give an image of "where life is good". Such an initiative is likely to interest other cities.

This project also benefits from massive support from the inhabitants of the cities concerned. According to a survey conducted by the Audirep Research Institute among a representative sample of the population aged 16 and over in the three cities in September-October 2020. More than 90% residents support the transformation of the town hall into a smoke-free place, whatever the city concerned. In all three cities, more than 9 out of 10 residents also believe that it is important to guarantee the right to breathe clean air and not to be exposed to second-hand smoke, and 8 out of 10 residents are in favour of implementing a local anti-smoking programme in their city.

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Keywords: Grand Est, Free Town Halls Without Tobacco, Tobacco-Free Cities