France to ban disposable e-cigarettes, says PM

PARIS: France plans to ban disposable electronic cigarettes, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has said in a radio interview. “It’s an important public health issue,” Ms Borne said, adding that the government is drawing up plans for a national programme to fight tobacco use that she said was responsible for 75,000 deaths a year in France.

So-called “puff” devices generate habits among young people that can lead to tobacco addiction, she added. However, the government does not plan to raise taxes on tobacco next year after an increase this year, the prime minister said.

French President Emmanuel Macron in 2021 set out ambitious plans to tackle tobacco and alcohol, pledging more smoking-free areas and aiming to make all 20-year-olds tobacco-free by 2030.

Several countries have taken measures to crack down on vaping, including Australia, which banned recreational vaping and tightened other aspects of e-cigarette laws in May.

Under the rules, vapes are only sold in pharmacies and require “pharmaceutical-type” packaging. Earlier this year the Cabinet approved plans to ban the sale of vaping products to under-18s.

The Bill to enact the ban remains before the Oireachtas. At the time, Tánaiste Micheál Martin described vaping as “very dangerous, particularly for young people”. He added that it was the “revenge of the tobacco industry in terms of getting people hooked on nicotine again.”