French legislators approve health care reform targeting smoking, drinking, anorexia

PARIS – France’s lower house of Parliament has approved a draft law tackling a range of public health problems from smoking and drinking to obesity and anorexia.

The bill passed in the National Assembly on Tuesday with 311 votes in favour and 241 against. The reform now goes to the Senate.

One measure would make it a crime to use anorexic models or encourage anorexia. Any modeling agency or person who pays a model below a certain body max index would face up to six months in prison and 75,000 euros ($80,000) in fines if convicted.

Another measure would force manufacturers to package their cigarettes in plain boxes. As another part of the bill, people who encourage minors to drink excessively could face a year behind bars and a €15,000 ($16,000) fine.