French smokers have formed The Union for the Rights of Adult Smokers, a lobby group to defend smokers' rights against what they perceive as unfair curbs imposed by the state, reports AFP.

The Union for the Rights of Adult Smokers (UDFA) says it represents a potential 12.5 million voters and intends to fight against the spread of no-smoking zones or rising cigarette prices.
"We want to defend our freedom," chairwoman Nathalie Masseron told AFP. "We are being barred from cafe terraces, some want to ban us from parks with children, some hotels are non-smoking, soon a smoker won't be able to rent a flat and there's even talk of banning smoking while you drive," she said.
With the first round of France's legislative election on 10 June 10, the new group is hoping to catch the attention of the country's politicians.
According to Masseron, the social cost of smoking is half the amount – EUR 13.6 billion – raked in by the state thanks to taxes on tobacco products. (pi)