Until recently it owned Seita, which meant it rang up billions in tobacco taxes while meekly funding prevention programs. Of the billions that fatten the coffers of the French government, only a fraction fund social and public awareness programs such as tobacco education. But if one were to assess the nation's priorities in terms of the scope and visibility of its civic campaigns, one might think that dog excrement looms larger on the national agenda than smoking. But you can't preach morality to the French. We will categorically reject it.
French smokers know about their risks.
That's why our campaigns are not designed to prevent people from starting to smoke but rather to help them stop smoking once they've started. Maybe we should take more risks. Maybe it would work in the long run. But we're a government-funded organization. Everything we do is approved by committee.