France Considering Ban on Disposable E-Cigarettes

May.04.2023
France Considering Ban on Disposable E-Cigarettes
France may ban disposable e-cigarettes by the end of 2023 as part of an anti-smoking plan.

On May 3rd, French Minister of Health François Braun announced that the government may ban disposable e-cigarettes by the end of this year.


Broun expressed his support for the ban on disposable e-cigarettes in an interview with Radio France Inter.


He added,


These devices "are leading some of our young people to use tobacco". "Smoking is a scourge, causing 75,000 deaths in France every year".


François Braun, (source of the picture: lunion)


Braun stated that despite not having a majority in the French parliament, the health ministers will "work with legislators" to reach an agreement on the ban. This ban could be implemented by "the end of this year (2023)" and will be part of the health department's "new anti-smoking plan" for the next five years.


Despite current regulations in France prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors, critics are pointing out that about 20 brands of these products are being marketed in a way that appeals to young people. These critics claim that brightly colored packaging and affordable prices (ranging from 8-12 euros or approximately 61.1-91.7 RMB for a 500 puffs product) make the products tempting and accessible to underage buyers.


The French National Assembly recently passed a bill known as the No. 1006 Bill, which legally defines terms such as "business influence activities," "influencers," and "influencer proxies." As per the No. 96 amendment's ban on tobacco and e-cigarette promotions, France will prohibit "influential individuals" from advertising e-cigarettes.


By the end of 2022, the anti-smoking organization ACT stated that disposable vaping devices "are becoming increasingly popular on social media, with a mostly positive and harmless image among young people.


According to ACT, these disposable e-cigarettes may contain up to 20mg of highly addictive nicotine per milliliter, making them a potential "on-ramp" to smoking.


Further reading:


France prohibits influential people from advertising e-cigarettes.


The CBD market in France has reached a size of 500 million Euros and is made up of 2,000 retail stores.


ELFBAR entered the French market in February and plans to sell in 4,000 retail stores.


Reference:


The government of France is considering a prohibition of disposable e-cigarettes.



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