France bans disposable vapes as part of anti-smoking plan
The government will ban disposable vapes due to the health and environmental risks they pose.
The new measures are part of a new anti-smoking plan being drawn up by the government which campaign groups say is due to come into force by the end of the year.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne warned that e-cigarettes “produce a reflex, a gesture that children get used to and are then ultimately drawn to tobacco.”
The products cost around €9 (£7.70) and provide around 600 puffs, which is equivalent to 40 cigarettes. The French National Academy of Medicine described it as a “cunning trap for children and young people”.
Earlier this month, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed a sharp rise in vaping among teenagers and young adults in the UK.
In 2022, 15.5 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds reported smoking e-cigarettes daily or occasionally, up from 11.1 percent in 2021.
Last year, 40 children and young people in England were admitted to hospital for “vaping-related disorders”, which could include lung damage or worsening asthma symptoms, up from 11 two years earlier, the NHS said.
The UK is considering introducing a similar ban on disposable vapes.
Science and Technology Minister Michelle Donelan recently told Sky News: “We have been investigating this and carrying out a review as this is a very worrying trend that we are seeing with young children starting to vape who have never before have smoked, and that too.” is extremely dangerous to their health and well-being.
“We have to act and as a government we are trying to identify the biggest challenges and overcome them.”
England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, added: “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; If you don’t smoke, don’t vape; Marketing e-cigarettes to children is completely unacceptable.”
While disposable vapes are dangerous to health, they also pose a threat to the environment, with an estimated five million disposable vapes being thrown away every week in the UK.
Further research by non-profit organization Material Focus found that adults in the UK buy around 30 million e-cigarettes every month.
The research also found that only 17 percent of e-cigarette users dispose of their e-cigarettes in the correct recycling containers. The organization estimates that all discarded devices could provide batteries for 5,000 electric cars.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/france-vape-ban-young-people-health-hazard-uk-vaping-b1106929.html France bans disposable vapes as part of anti-smoking plan
