France sets out plan to ban disposable vapes
France’s Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has said the country is set to ban disposable e-cigarettes because of the danger they pose to health and the environment
Borne spoke to RTL radio saying the measure was part of a new government plan to phase out smoking. The measure will likely be in force by the end of the year, according to campaigners.
European countries appear to be on the same page with vapes, Germany, Belgium and Ireland have all announced similar bans, and the UK is considering one as well.
Disposable vapes cost around €9 (£7.70) – less than a packet of 20 cigarettes. They are supposed to offer around 600 puffs – the rough equivalent of 40 cigarettes.
Campaigners say many vape manufacturers mostly based in China – are targeting teenagers by using bright colours and flavours similar to what you’d find in sweets.
France’s National Academy of Medicine described vapes as a “particularly sly trap for children and adolescents”.
Élisabeth Borne said, “they create a reflex, a gesture, which children get used to, and then end up being drawn to tobacco”.
The Alliance Against Tobacco (ACT) says 13% of 13-16-year-olds have tried “puffs” at least once. Most say they started around the ages of 11 or 12.