CNCT unveils a set of strong measures to achieve a tobacco-free generation

In a white paper[1] Published on May 2, produced with the financial support of the ACT-Alliance against tobacco and the Fund for the fight against addictions, the National Committee against smoking (CNCT) proposes a set of programmatic measures to achieve a tobacco-free generation in France by 2032. The next National Tobacco Control Program (PNLT) for the period 2023 to 2027 should be based on this report.

The objective of a tobacco-free generation is in line with the desire of the public authorities to significantly and sustainably reduce the prevalence of smoking in order to achieve a smoking rate of less than 5% from the generation of young people aged 18 in 2032.

Protecting the younger generation

In its measures, the CNCT calls for raising the legal age for the sale of tobacco products to 21, as is the case in the United States or Singapore. On the other hand, the ban on the sale of any tobacco product to people born after 2014 is an extension of this measure. This latter provision was recently adopted in New Zealand, where anyone born after 2007 will not be able to buy tobacco.

For the CNCT, smoking should be considered a pediatric epidemic. Indeed, in France, 200,000 young people start smoking every year. Although it has declined, the age of the first cigarette remains very early and is around 14 years old. The targeting of the tobacco industry, which focuses its marketing activities on young people to ensure the renewal of its consumers, explains these data to a large extent.

Taking tobacco out of the economy

To be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and denormalize tobacco and its industry in society, the CNCT invites all economic players, particularly those in banking, finance and insurance, to disengage from the tobacco and nicotine sector. Recently, the CNCT welcomed the sectoral exclusion of the tobacco industry from the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Label.[2]The activities of the tobacco industry are incompatible with socially responsible activities: in addition to the major health aspect with 8 million avoidable premature deaths worldwide, the tobacco industry is a threat to the environment since it is, among other things, the cause of 5% of global deforestation.

The CNCT also calls for a review of the remuneration model tobacconists in order to cap these revenues and dissuade tobacconists, as is the case today, from selling more and more, their revenues being proportional to the sale of tobacco products. This logic of profitability is not unrelated to the weak application of the ban on the sale of tobacco products to minors by retailers. In a survey published in March 2022[3], the CNCT revealed that two thirds of tobacconists in France sell tobacco to minors, even though it has been banned for almost 20 years. For the association, this accessibility to tobacco makes it easier for young people to start smoking.

The CNCT points out that tobacconists have been and still are massively supported by the community, which has for years subsidised the diversification of their activities and ensured their retraining.

Reduce the attractiveness of tobacco and protect the environment by banning filters

The CNCT calls on public authorities to consider banning filters as soon as possible, as they do nothing to reduce health risks for smokers and are a major source of pollution on a global scale. 4,500 billion cigarette butts are thrown on the ground each year, causing lasting pollution to land, oceans and rivers.

In addition, filters help to facilitate the initiation of smoking because they reduce the acridity of the smoke and prevent the deposit of strands in the mouth that are considered unpleasant by consumers.

The filter ban is a measure currently under discussion at the international level and is at the heart of the negotiations for the international treaty on plastics.[4].

Have strong and repeated tax policies

The Committee also recalls the need to relaunch an ambitious and coherent tax policy for all tobacco and nicotine products. A continuous increase in taxes of 10% per year is the prerequisite for a successful anti-smoking policy, particularly among young people and working-class groups, the first victims of the tobacco epidemic. Daily smoking among so-called precarious populations has further worsened in recent years, with an increase of 3.5 points and a prevalence rising to 33.3% in 2021.

The association also advocates the creation of a specific tax category for non-pharmaceutical nicotine products (vaping products, nicotine pouches, etc.).

Keywords: CNCT, White Paper, tobacco-free generation, France, 2032, anti-smoking policy, smoking

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[1] Press release, The National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) proposes strong measures to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2032, published May 2, 2023, accessed May 4, 2023

[2] Press release, The CNCT welcomes the exclusion of tobacco from the Socially Responsible Investment Label (ISR), published on April 18, 2023, consulted on May 4, 2023

[3] Press release, Two-thirds of tobacconists sell tobacco to minors in France, a damning observation, published March 10, 2022, accessed May 4, 2023

[4] Tobacco-free generation, Cigarette filters, a major issue in the treaty on plastic pollution, published on April 18, 2023, accessed on May 4, 2023