Disposable e-cigarettes: France ready to ban them

The disposable e-cigarettes they will soon be banned in France as has already happened in Germany, Australia and New Zealand. The ban is part of a nationwide anti-smoking plan that was announced by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in an interview with broadcaster RTL. The premier explained that a new national plan to fight against smoking will be presented “soon by banning, in particular, disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous “puff” who give bad habits to young people».

In France, 75,000 people die each year from smoking. The French government’s plan aims to combat smoking in general, but focuses on flavored electronic cigarettes, the puffs, which seem to have become a gateway to smoking for younger people. An Irish research, reported by Guardianshows that teens who use e-cigarettes are up to five times more likely to start smoking than those who don’t. The French Observatory on Addiction says that adolescent use of e-cigarettes tripled between 2017 and 2022.

These disposable e-cigarettes have flavors that appeal to young people like marshmallow and bubblegum, are fruity or sugary. They have attractive colors. The price is modest: from 8 to 12 euros for about 500 puffs. There are about twenty brands, are accessible to teenagers. They do not heat tobacco, but vaporize liquids. They don’t always contain nicotine.

Several European countries are also considering banning them. Online sales are prohibited in Belgium and in Ireland there is a national consultation on the ban. In Germany the government has banned flavored e-cigarettes. Australia allows vaporizers to be obtained only on prescription. Most disposable vaporizers have been banned in New Zealand, shops that sell them cannot be opened near schools.

These disposable e-cigarettes also create a environmental damage like traditional butts because they are made of plastic, lithium batteries and heavy metals. An estimate from the UK says that 1.3 million single-use e-cigarettes are thrown away every week.