Key Takeaways
- French lawmakers Nicolas Thierry and Pierre Cazenave said on April 15 they would file a cross-party bill to extend plain packaging to vaping products.
- Under the proposal, unit packs and outer packaging for vaping products, including nicotine-free products, would become neutral and standardized.
- Nicolas Thierry said the goal is to remove what fuels the spread of these products among minors, especially bright colors and candy-style marketing codes.
- The two lawmakers said they hope to build consensus across parties and place the measure on the National Assembly agenda in June.
- In 2024, 5.80% of 16-year-olds in France vaped daily and 3.10% smoked daily, while Anses said e-cigarette use, though less harmful than tobacco, has “probable” cardiovascular effects.
2Firsts, April 16, 2026
According to La Nouvelle République with AFP, French lawmakers Nicolas Thierry and Pierre Cazenave announced on April 15 that they would file a cross-party bill to extend plain packaging rules to vaping products.
The bill would make vape packaging neutral and standardized
As formulated, the bill would require unit packs and outer packaging for vaping products, including products without nicotine, to become neutral and standardized, in a way similar to cigarette packs in France since 2017.
Lawmakers said the aim is to reduce marketing appeal to minors
Nicolas Thierry, who has also introduced a bill to ban tobacco for anyone born after 2014, said products should be stripped of what fuels their spread among minors. He specifically pointed to certain “marketing codes,” including brightly colored e-cigarettes and liquid bottles, as well as designs inspired by the world of confectionery.
Pierre Cazenave, who is also behind the bill and belongs to the Ensemble pour la République group, had opposed vaping-product taxes during the 2026 budget vote. He said e-cigarettes helped him “get away from traditional cigarettes,” but also said it is necessary to “fight with all our strength against young people entering addiction through these ultra-marketed products.”
The lawmakers want the measure on the Assembly agenda in June
The two lawmakers said they hope the measure will gain support from other parties so that it can be placed on the agenda of the National Assembly in June.
They said the precise modalities for how neutrality would be implemented could be set out by decree, but they hope it will apply “beyond packaging,” including to the e-cigarette devices themselves.
The proposal has support from anti-tobacco groups
The measure is supported by the National Committee Against Smoking and the association Contre-feu, formerly Alliance contre le tabac. Contre-feu said similar measures have been adopted in Israel and in some Nordic countries.
The previous puff ban was described as having mixed results
The report also said a previous cross-party bill led by former Green lawmaker Francesca Pasquini resulted in a 2025 ban on disposable e-cigarettes, or puffs, with the aim of reducing youth consumption.
Its effects were described as very mixed, particularly because manufacturers equipped puffs with rechargeable batteries to avoid the ban.
Daily vaping among 16-year-olds in France stood at 5.80%
According to the European ESPAD survey, 5.80% of 16-year-olds in France vaped daily in 2024, while 3.10% smoked daily, compared with 16.00% smoking daily 10 years earlier.
France’s Anses said e-cigarette use, although less harmful than tobacco, has “probable” cardiovascular effects.
Image source: La Nouvelle République with AFP.
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