While the ban on smoking on beaches, in bus shelters, or in front of schools is in place, the municipality is once again committing to smoking prevention, in partnership with the League Against Cancer and the RespiEra University Hospital Institute. A new milestone is reached with the request for the “Ma Ville se Ligue” label.
For more than ten years, Nice has been multiplying measures to limit the effects of tobacco on public health. In 2012, it already established the first smoke-free beach in France. Since 2023, all public beaches in the city are affected by this ban. Today, the municipality wants to go even further.
The municipality has officially requested the League Against Cancer to obtain the “Ma Ville se Ligue” label. This system highlights local actions in cancer prevention. It also involves monitoring the commitments made. The National Labeling Committee will assess the measures and decide on the renewal of the label.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, asserts: “The City of Nice has always been a pioneering territory in health prevention. As cancer continues to spread, we pursue this fight relentlessly. Indeed, 40% of cancers are preventable, and we, as mayors, must do everything possible to create shaded areas, living and working conditions, and lifestyles conducive to good health. The City of Nice supports the deployment of lung cancer screening campaigns conducted by our IHU, which are an opportunity for our citizens.”
Professor Marquette, pulmonologist and oncologist, and head of the clinical project at IHU RespiEra, highlights the issue: “With the help of the League and the Regional Health Agency, the Alpes-Maritimes and the Nice Cรดte d’Azur Metropolis, in particular, aim to be ‘pioneers’ in lung cancer screening, screening which truly transforms the prognosis of this cancer that affects 3,500 people every year in the PACA region. This is conducted especially among socially disadvantaged populations in the high and mid-country valleys and, from the start of the school year, in the health centers of the City of Nice.”
This commitment is welcomed by Laurence Cressin-Bensa, president of the departmental committee of the League Against Cancer: “I warmly thank Christian Estrosi for his commitment to prevention on the occasion of this world no tobacco day. Our Committee is pleased with the City of Nice’s commitment to the labeling process within the Ma Ville se Ligue system.”
Beyond the known risks to the heart or lungs, other effects of tobacco are beginning to be better identified. The B2V Memory Observatory has published an alert on the effects of smoking on memory. Among adults, smoking reduces cognitive abilities. Among children of smoking mothers, memory and learning disorders are also observed. The Observatory insists: tobacco addiction is also a matter of memory and emotion. Therapies exist to reduce its effects. Quitting smoking allows, in the long term, an improvement in cognitive functions.
In Nice, prevention continues to adapt to this new data. The goal remains the same: to protect the population and take proactive measures.
