France is planning to ban disposable vapes. Here’s why

France is set to ban disposable vapes. France’s prime minister Elisabeth Borne made the announcement on Sunday. Borne did not give details as to when the ban would be implemented. But why is France doing this? Let’s take a closer look: Borne, speaking to RTL Radio, said this is part of a nationwide anti-smoking plan. Borne said smoking in France causes 75,000 deaths every year. Vapes are known as ‘puffs’ in France, as per The Guardian.

Borne has argued that disposable vapes “are giving bad habits to young people.”

“It’s a reflex and a gesture that young people get used to. That’s how they get into smoking,” she added. According to the website The National News, while the government has decided not to implement a tax on cigarettes in 2024, it hopes the ban on disposable vapes will deter young people from taking up smoking. According to the website, around a fourth of the population of France – one of the highest rates in the West – smokes every day. In France, you have to be 18 to be allowed to smoke. Most of the disposable e-cigarettes, which are thrown away after they’re used up, come in sweet and fruity flavors like pink lemonade, gummy bear and watermelon – which makes them attractive to teenagers. They are sold in France usually at a price of between 8 euros ($8.7) and 12 euros ($13). [caption id=“attachment_13078722” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Representational image.[/caption] An existing ban on the sale of electronic cigarette devices to those under 18 is not widely respected. Promoting or advertising such products is also banned. According to The Guardian, France’s previous health minister claimed a law on vaping could be passed “before the end of this year”. François Braun added that even though the Emmanuel Macron government did not have a majority in Parliament, ministers would “work with lawmakers” to achieve a deal. Vaping and smoking in other nations As per The National News, the United States’ Food and Drug Administration is yet to act on vaping. The UK in 2007 increased its age for buying cigarettes from 16 to 18. As of 2021, it is projected that 13.3 per cent of adults – around 6.6 million people – smoke in the UK. The NHS pegs smoking as causing around 76,000 deaths every year in the UK.

It says smoking causes many more ‘debilitating conditions’

The government in 2019 had vowed to make the UK ‘smoke-free’ by 2030, as per the website. As per The Guardian, Belgium has banned online sales of vapes. Meanwhile, in Ireland, a national consultation on prohibition is ongoing. Germany has already banned flavoured e-cigarettes – with its drugs tsar warning this may only be the beginning. New Zealand in June unveiled a slew of measures to curb vaping by young people as it extended its aggressive anti-smoking campaign. These included limits on sales near schools to a ban on some disposable units. Though New Zealand has one of the lowest rates of adult smoking among the 38 nations in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, it has banned future generations from smoking in a push to be “smokefree” by 2025. With inputs from agencies