The government of France helped 1 million smokers make the decision to drop the life-threatening habit in 2017, according to the country's Ministry of Health.
France attributed the success to its anti-smoking campaign, which resulted in the biggest drop in the number of smokers in the country in a decade, according to Public Health France.
France Anti-Smoking Campaign Makes 1 Million Smokers Quit
France saw a drastic decline in the number of people in the country who smoke daily, with 1 million less smokers in 2017 compared to 2016.
The survey, which was carried out by Public Health France, also saw a decrease in the number of smokers among teenagers and among people with low income.
The decline in the number of smokers in France was attributed to the anti-smoking measures implemented by the government. In recent years, France has pushed for neutral packaging for cigarettes, offered reimbursements for people moving to tobacco substitutes, and introduced campaigns like a national tobacco-free month.
Arguably the biggest detractor for smokers in France is the escalating prices of cigarettes. The government is increasing the price of cigarettes in the country in increments, with the plan to get the price up to €10 ($12) by 2020.
The initiatives have resulted in survey results of 26.9 percent of people aged 18 years old to 75 years old smoking every day, equivalent to 12.2 million smokers in 2017. This is a significant decline compared to 29.4 percent, equivalent to 13.2 million smokers, in 2016, for a reduction of 1 million smokers in France in one year.
Quit Smoking, Save Your Life
There are many articles and studies on the detrimental effects of smoking on the health of people and the others around them. As examples, according to recent studies, smoking just one cigarette per day already raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, and smoking may increase the risk that a person becomes deaf by 60 percent.
However, smoking remains a major problem across the world.
In the United States, the FDA has moved forward with its anti-smoking proposal that will look to further reduce the usage of cigarettes. The plan will look to reduce the allowable levels of nicotine in cigarettes, making them non-addictive as possibly the final step in the fight against smoking.
Smokers may already be asking how to quit smoking, but it is a very difficult habit to beat. A new study, however, claimed that financial reward is the most successful way to get somebody to quit smoking.
