The French Parliament wants to ban disposable vejps. This follows a majority vote in favor of an opposition proposal, which also has the support of the government. If the ban passes the Senate, disposable e-cigs could be banned from sale as early as autumn 2024. Critics warn that a ban will only open up an even bigger black market for nicotine products in France.
France is moving closer to a ban on single-use e-cigarettes. This is after the parliament, one of two bodies that must approve changes to the law, voted to ban the popular products. A vote is now pending in the Senate, but according to AP news agency French government canand count on support there too.
The French government believes that banning disposable vejps would reduce the use of e-cigarettes among young people, while limiting the environmental impact of disposable models.
Warns of black market
However, the proposal has been widely criticized. Even before disposable models became common features in tobacco shops, the use among young people was high. Young people bought the products on the black market, away from shops and shopping centers.
"Teenagers who wanted vejpa 'lychee ice' didn't wait for disposable vejps to hit the conventional market. They could easily find ads on social media and websites where retailers were not very particular about the age of the customer" writes Liberation magazine in an article accompanying the launch of the bill in September.
Most illicit cigarettes in the EU
Already today it is the black market for nicotine very high in France. This is especially true for cigarettes, where France accounts for as much as 47% of all illegal cigarette sales across the EU. In total, 8 billion untaxed cigarettes were sold in France in 2022. Something that stands out as extreme in the annual survey conducted by tobacco company Philip Morris International of illicit cigarette sales in the EU.
Now the demand for disposable cigarettes risks fueling the illegal trade in yet another product, says Liberation.
"By banning all consumers from buying disposable models, the government thus risks users turning to the black market instead." writes the newspaper.
Some support from user associations
French vejp organizations, which normally protests loudly against various restrictions on e-cigarettes, has not been unilaterally against a ban on disposable models. However, according to Sébastien Beziau, President of the non-profit vejp association SoVape there are better arguments for prohibition than stopping youth use. According to a French study, youth use leads to less smoking later in lifefat. Moreover, daily use is very low, especially among non-smokers, says Sébastien Beziau.
"We know that all young people try new things, whether they are allowed to or not. The issue of e-cigarettes among young people has unfortunately become a mantra for anti-tobacco activists, it's an argument used to intimidate and it affects everyone who vejpar, not just young people." says Sébastien Beziau to Liberation.
He would rather see a "sensible discussion" on vejpning, where the fight against smoking is at the center and issues concern the environmental impact of individual products governs the legislation.
E-cigs important in smoking cessation
Today, the average smoker 25% of the French population, more men (29%) than women (23%). These figures have not decreased much over the last 20 years. At the same time, the French government has taken a relatively lenient attitude towards vejp products and the ban on disposable models will not apply to the more traditional e-cigarettes. Among many doctors and quitters, e-cigarettes are seen as a effective tool to quit smoking. And in those contexts, even single-use models can play an important role.
"In some addiction treatment centers, doctors recommend one-time vejps as harm minimization and as support to smokers who want to quit smoking." says the doctor Jean-Pierre Couteron to Liberation.
"Attack from the pharmaceutical companies"
He is supported by the pulmonologist Gérard Mathern who argue that the reason for banning disposable models is dogmatic.
"Chasing after nicotine users is not good. Wanting to eliminate a popular substance from the human environment is a fantasy. The ban is a blow in the war against electronic cigarettes, which is being driven the pharmaceutical lobby that has lost control of substitute products, and of course by the tobacco lobby" he tells Liberation.
The proposal to ban disposable models will now go to the French Senate. If the Senate votes in favor, the ban could come into force as early as September 2024.
The end of Europe should be about more important things than these constant bans on everything.
If Sweden's politicians had any sense, this country should GET OUT of the EU. Before the EU existed, Sweden functioned quite well. But now our politicians are crawling and grovelling to these greedy self-proclaimed gods with their SICK power over everyone. Sweden is destroyed for all time thanks to our pitiful politicians. The EU adds NOTHING GOOD for Sweden.