Disposable “puff” cigarettes soon to be banned, announces Elisabeth Borne | EUROtoday

During an interview with RTL, Elisabeth Borne confirmed on Sunday, September 3, that tobacco taxation wouldn’t improve in 2024, whereas the federal government is busy placing the ending touches to its budgets for the approaching yr. However, she introduced that the “puff” disposable digital cigarettes, very modern amongst younger individuals, would be ” shortly “ prohibited, as a part of the anti-tobacco plan deliberate for the interval 2023-2028.

“We have increased tobacco taxation this year and we do not plan to increase it next year”mentioned the Prime Minister. “That does not mean that we are not very vigilant about tobacco consumption”nuanced Ms. Borne, mentioning that “tobacco is 75,000 deaths a year”, a quantity ” huge “ And “an important public health issue”.

In this sense, the federal government “will soon present a new national plan to fight against smoking, including the banning of disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous “puffs” which give younger individuals unhealthy habits”she clarified.

The “puff” already banned in a number of European international locations

With its infantile, candy or fruity flavors (marshmallow, ice sweet, chocolate hazelnut, and so on.), its brightly coloured packaging harking back to sweets and its low value starting from eight to 12 euros for 500 puffs, the “puff”, which exists in a twenty manufacturers, apprehensive as a result of it targets youngsters, whereas the digital cigarette is prohibited for minors.

Several European international locations reminiscent of Germany, Belgium and Ireland have already initiated such a ban on these small tubes which arrived in France on the finish of 2021, and which provide a sure variety of puffs for a nicotine degree of between 0 and 20 mg/ ml.

“We can be told that it is not nicotine. But it’s a reflex, a gesture that young people get used to. Then that’s how they go to smoking and we have to stop that”pleaded Elisabeth Borne.

Former health minister François Braun, replaced in his post by Aurélien Rousseau during the reshuffle in July, had already opened the door to an imminent ban on “puffs” last May.

The issue is not only health, but also environmental. Disposable, the “puffs” are certainly manufactured from plastic and include a non-recyclable lithium battery.