Les Fumeurs

One thing that I was both expected and surprised by in France was the number of smokers. It’s very European, I get that. Very French. But I didn’t imagine the level. I didn’t even think about the students. That I work in a place where sixteen year olds roll their cigarettes as they walk down the stairs after class. That only one person in a class of fifteen year olds has never smoked before. At home, you walk around, and second hand smoke almost doesn’t exist. Here, it’s a constant. And the number of smokers is rising. Five years after the smoking bans in public buildings, bars and clubs were put in place, the precent of smokers has risen.

And it’s mainly women. In fact, mainly girls. In 2009, 35.6% of the adult male population smoked daily compared to 27.4% of their female counterparts but when you drop the ages to between 13 and 15, those numbers read 19% and 20.2% respectively. More girls. And female youth smoking rates keep going up. All smoking rates are going up, but none so dramatically as this group. There’s obviously a correlation between issues of weight and smoking. But most of all, it’s simply strange to compare the difference in attitude. Yes, there’s still a certain cache to breaking the rules and rebelling . But, the trouble is, it’s not even rebelling here. It’s normal.

They smoke in rooms with children, as long as there’s a chimney- although, smoking up the chimney was not 100% observed. I try to explain it, but there is no better image than me finishing the day at lunch time and exiting the school through crowds of students all on their smoke break. At least a quarter of the students smoke regularly, less in the first year, more in the post-high school classes, about a fifth of the teachers do. Another assistant had a class firmly tell her that French people don’t smoke more than Americans, don’t smoke more than Australians.

In Australia, adult female smokers numbered 16.3% and girls 4.6%. Male adults were at 19.9% and 3% of boys. A similar thing happens here, higher percentages of young girls. The difference is, our rates are declining and have been since the seventies. Of course, cigarettes cost more in Australia, $12.15 to $8.30, but an average Australian who smokes, smokes more than the average French person who does. I really don’t believe it has anything to do with cost; it has everything to do with culture, attitude and awareness. Smoking is deeply ingrained in the French culture and it’s not even the worst country. Greece, Russia, China. 

It’s a scary thing to see. For a long time, I have not condemned smoking, I know mostly social-smokers, which never seems as bad. But you know what? Rates of use should not be going up. That shit kills you.