The Cancer Foundation says active smoking kills around 1,000 people in Luxembourg each year while passive smoking claims 80 lives. Shutterstock

The Cancer Foundation says active smoking kills around 1,000 people in Luxembourg each year while passive smoking claims 80 lives. Shutterstock

TNS Ilres surveyed 3,316 Luxembourg residents aged 16 and over for the annual Cancer Foundation survey.

Published on Thursday, the results suggested that 27% of the population smoke, up from 21% in 2018. Seven out of ten respondents (72%) said they wished to quit or reduce their consumption.

Some 38% of 18-24-year-olds surveyed said they smoked, up from 30% in 2018. According to the foundation, the rate has been rising steadily since 2013. “Among men, the observation is equally damning with a 14% increase recorded since 2018, bringing the proportion of smokers from 22% to 36%.”

Shisha continues to attract the younger age groups, with 16% of 16-24-year-olds smoking shisha in 2019, up from 12% the year before.

“These figures are particularly alarming: in Luxembourg the consumption of tobacco products is rising dramatically. It is an unequivocal sign that we must strengthen anti-smoking policy to protect everyone’s health, particularly the young people,” Cancer Foundation director Lucienne Thommes said.

The Cancer Foundation says active smoking kills around 1,000 people in Luxembourg each year while passive smoking claims 80 lives. The foundation insists that only increasing the price of tobacco products will curb this trend.

A price hike is foreseen in the current anti-smoking national plan but has yet to be put into place. Other planned measures include the introduction of neutral packaging for tobacco products, the introduction of anti-smoking programmes in school and university curriculums, and examining ways to make tobacco products less visible. “Their implantation will be subject to supplementary concertations,” the minister wrote.

What has Luxembourg done so far?

The Luxembourg government banned smoking in closed public places, including bars and cafés from 1 January 2014, unless bars provided a separate smoking room. The ban was extended on 1 August 2017 to include areas close to children’s playgrounds and in vehicles transporting a child under 12, and e-cigarettes were included in the ban. At the same time, Luxembourg upped the minimum age for being allowed to buy tobacco products, from 16 to 18. In 2016, meanwhile, the EU ruled that health warnings with a colour photograph must cover 65% of the front and back of cigarette packaging, and banned flavoured cigarettes.

More recently, Auchan opted to ban the sale of tobacco products at its new supermarket, which opened in the Cloche d’Or .

Quitting smoking

Luxembourg has had a programme in place since 2008 to help people kick the habit. The “programme sevrage tabagique” provides support for smokers from a health profession during withdrawal. It also partially reimburses them for drug treatments and any necessary substitutes. Further information on these programmes can be found on www.tabac-stop.lu and maviesanstabac.lu.