France plans to "ban e-cigarettes"

 

September 13, 2023

France plans to “ban e-cigarettes”

(France is set to ban disposable e-cigarettes - known locally as "puffs" - because of the danger they pose to the environment and public health).

Speaking recently on RTL radio, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said the measure was part of a new anti-smoking plan being drawn up by the government. It should be in force by the end of the year, campaigners said.

Sold over the counter by tobacconists, disposable vapes in France cost around €9, less than a packet of 20 cigarettes. They are supposed to offer around 600 puffs - the rough equivalent of 40 cigarettes.

Campaigners accuse manufacturers - many based in China - of deliberately targeting teenagers, using bright colors and a range of flavors reminiscent of the sweet shop, for example marshmallow, chocolate and hazelnut, watermelon, and ice candy. According to the Alliance Against Tobacco (ACT), 13% of 13-16-year-olds have tried "puffs" at least once. Most say they started around the ages of 11 or 12.

Sam, a 16-year-old Paris schoolboy, said he began smoking disposable e-cigarettes two years ago, shortly after they first appeared in France. In theory it is not possible to buy "puffs" if you are under the age of 18, but Sam said it was easy to evade the restriction. According to ACT, tobacconists systematically refrain from asking for proof of age.

Campaigners have also highlighted the ecological damage caused by disposable e-cigarettes. In the UK, a study last year by the environmental organization Material Focus found that more than one million devices were being thrown out every week. They said each disposable e-cigarette was made of plastic and contained a non-removable battery with around 0.15 grams of lithium, as well as nicotine salts and traces of heavy metals.

KEYWORDS :

1. E- cigarettes

2. Environmental pollution

3. Young people

4. France

5. Ban