France’s New Public Smoking Ban: A Questionable Assault on Personal Freedom

France is once again tightening its grip on smokers with a sweeping new law banning tobacco use in virtually all outdoor public spaces where children gather—a move that some see not as a necessary health measure but as a further erosion of personal liberty.Set to take effect on July 1, this decree extends existing bans from indoor venues like restaurants and bars to parks, beaches, bus stops, and school perimeters. The government claims it aims to protect public health and denormalize smoking among youth. Yet this approach raises critical questions about the balance between public safety and individual freedom—a balance...