Paris (AFP)

The addictions fund, which succeeds the tobacco control fund, was set up after the publication on Tuesday of an order in the Official Journal.

"For 2019, it is a budget of 120 million managed by the Health Insurance that comes to strengthen the mobilization against addiction," said the Ministry of Health in a statement.

This fund for combating addictions related to psychoactive substances was created by the Social Security Financing Act of December 2018, and its framework set by a decree dated 21 June.

It replaces the tobacco control fund and benefits from new resources from lump sum fines for cannabis use.

This new fund "allows to strengthen and continue programs dedicated to fight against tobacco and to deploy public health actions also covering other addictions, including alcohol and cannabis," said the Ministry of Health .

According to the ministry, its budget breaks down as follows: more than 46 million invested in assistance to stop smoking, 32 million to support projects in the regions, nearly 18 million for national projects of civil society, more than 13 million invested in research and 11 million for the implementation of new social marketing campaigns.

"Addictive behavior remains a major social and public health problem," the ministry said.

"Every year in France tobacco kills 75,000 people, alcohol 41,000 people and illegal drugs 1,600.Tobacco and alcohol are the primary risk factors for avoidable mortality," he said.

"Today 11.5 million French people smoke daily, 10.6 million have alcohol consumption beyond the new benchmarks of low-risk consumption" and "25% of cannabis users are at high risk of use more than 1 million people, "added the Ministry of Health.

In October, doctors addictologists had claimed that alcohol is more involved in financing this fund, through higher taxes.

© 2019 AFP