At first glance, the law seems clear. It imposes a perimeter of at least 10 meters around the establishments concerned and a compulsory signage (ground marking or panels) for the municipalities. However, various mayors of Charente interviewed have not yet set up anything. “For the parks of the town, we have not yet made political decisions. We have no patrols to verify compliance with areas either, ”recognizes the mayor of Soyaux François Nebout. “We will see later. “In Barbezieux,” non-smoking areas were already in place in public gardens and schools, “said Mayor André Meraillon,” but not yet in sports centers. We will think about it and see how far we go. ”
Harmonization of tobacco -free spaces
The law of July 1 puts an end to an approach on a case -by -case basis. “Until now, each mayor did according to what he felt,” sums up Jean-Michel Bolvin, mayor of Montmoreau and president of the Association of Mayors of Charente. Today, the municipalities must follow uniform regulations. In Angoulême, this is part of the continuity of tobacco -free spaces defined with the Cancer League since 2024. “The law legitimate our action”, underlines Catherine Revel, assistant in charge of health issues. In Châteaubernard, mayor Pierre-Yves Briand also greets this harmonization: “It’s good that it extends, like that, it’s clearer for everyone. “Even if some do not share this opinion, like the mayor of Cognac Morgan Berger, who regrets a regulatory drift for smokers:” It is still a deprivation of freedom. »»
Faced with the procrastination, the Charente prefecture is conciliatory. For the moment, there is no question of sanctioning town halls which would not respect new obligations. “We are in a phase of pedagogy and support. Mayors must appropriate the new provisions. The prefecture is not intended to distribute sticks, ”she says.
Can we be fined for smoking on one of these new places, if it does not have signage? “No one is supposed to ignore the law. The absence of signage does not exempt from complaining to these rules, which are very clear ”replies the criminal lawyer Armand Tanoh. The decree provides that any violation of this rule may be sanctioned by a 4ᵉ class ticket, a lump sum fine of 135 euros, which can go up to 750 euros.
Even if a signal exists, the mayors point to the difficulty of identifying smokers. “At the Saint-Yrieix water plan which is 70 hectares, it is simply unverifiable,” says Jean-Jacques supplied, mayor of the town, committed for two years in the creation of tobacco-free spaces. Difficult to multiply the police patrols to monitor the application of instructions.
Favor pedagogy
Deterrence and common sense, it is the strategy favored by many town halls to develop behavior. According to Catherine Revel, “coercive methods are useless in the face of incivility. We must continue pedagogy ”. Hence the importance of signage, for Jean-Jacques supplied: “I believe it much more than in coping. You have to sanctuarize the premises ”. His town had anticipated, from 2023, by installing panels and paint on the ground in front of four schools. Two years later, he welcomes the result: “Today, no one smokes. “In close connection with the Cancer League, the mayor already plans the next steps:” We are going to make a first point at the start of the school year. The idea is for example to move the ashtrays which are at the entrance to the gymnasiums, further, towards the bottom of the parking lots. »»
In Chanzy, we will no longer be able to smoke!
These progressive adjustments take time, especially in very popular places such as sports speakers. At the SA XV, Rugby Club of Soyaux-Angoulême, the process is underway. “We are aware that it will not be easy for supporters. We will communicate on networks, do pedagogy. It will be experimental at the start, it will be better and better as the matches progresses, ”explains Mathias Grondin, communications officer. The Chanzy stadium, which can accommodate up to 8,000 people, should be ready, with all the signs, for the first game of the season, August 22. If it was already forbidden to smoke in the stands, the whole enclosure, including the surroundings, must now be clearly marked.
Zoom on the evolution of tobacco -free spaces in Charente
As vice-president of the League against Cancer (LCC) in Charente, Michel Harmand has an overview of the municipalities that have embarked on “tobacco-free spaces” in partnership with the association, since 2023. “The association has accelerated labeling for three years, following the increase in cancers, among others of the lung and the prostate,” he explains. The octogenarian insists on the difficulty in setting up controls and the virtues of exemplarity: “We see that it works well: when a town sets up actions in this sense, it encourages the neighbors to do the same”. He salutes the government’s initiative and tempers: “This is what was done at the national level, but it must be adapted at the local level, respecting people who want to smoke while fighting passive smoking”.
