The cost of smoking would amount to almost 35 billion euros in France, including 26 billion for care and 9 for production losses.
Each year, tobacco causes around 78,000 deaths per year in France. The 15-75 year olds are 28.2% to smoke, and the economic impact is not negligible. In addition to the cost of care linked to the consequences of smoking – which amounts to 25.89 billion euros according to the French Drug Addiction Observatory – there is 8.6 billion euros in lost business production.
This last figure, estimated by a survey by IMS health for Care labs (which produces “health vouchers”), represents 645 euros per smoker and per year, to which are added the 1,932 euros for care. In total, therefore, almost 35 billion euros go up in smoke every year.
To deal with this scourge, successive health ministers have implemented numerous measures. Veil law, Evin law, increase in the price of the package: they have had variable impacts, and the general result is not up to the expected success.
Lagging investments
According to the 2014 Inpes health barometer, only one in ten smokers uses withdrawal aid treatment, even though they are covered by health insurance up to 50 euros.
Marisol Touraine thus wishes to accompany the arrival of the neutral package with a new awareness plan of 32 million euros, encouraging awareness of the dangers of tobacco, and encouraging smokers to contact Tabac info service. A drop in the bucket compared to the exorbitant costs of tobacco. She also decided to declare the month of November without cigarettes.
The “tobacco-free self (s)” is inspired by Stoptober, a United Kingdom initiative set up in 2012, which in 2015 would have brought together more than 215,000 people. It involves using the group effect to quit smoking for 28 days in a row, after which time smokers are five times more likely to quit permanently. England is a good student: in 30 years, the number of smokers has decreased by 37%.
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