The Minister of Health wants to go quickly. In the roadmap addressed to the Prime Minister, Agnès Buzyn confirms her commitments in the fight against smoking: to increase “rapidly and strongly from 2018, the price of tobacco”. Revealed by the specialized site Hospimediathis letter also testifies to an ambition: “That the generation born today be the first generation without tobacco”.
And his arguments are sharp. The fight against smoking is the best weapon against the leading cause of preventable death. In addition, these price increases would be used to finance preventive actions.
As for the amount of this increase, the Minister had already mentioned in an interview with the Parisianthe price of 10 euros for a pack of cigarettes.
A threshold that makes the tobacco industry jump. Until now, this powerful lobby, relayed by the tobacconists, had won its case with most of the previous governments. It remains to be seen whether the one installed by the government of Emmanuel Macron will spare economic interests to the detriment of public health. Answer, no doubt, this Tuesday with the declaration of general policy that Edouard Philippe must pronounce.
