Disposable electronic cigarettes: European Commission agrees with France to ban them

The European Commission announced on Wednesday, September 25, that it is giving France the green light to ban puffs, the disposable electronic cigarettes that are very popular among teenagers. According to a study by the Alliance Against Tobacco published in November 2023, 15% of teenagers have already used a puff and among them, 47% began their introduction to nicotine through this device.

In December 2023, a law to ban these disposable electronic cigarettes was passed in the National Assembly, then in the Senate last February and in the joint committee in March. Validation at the European level was still missing, which has now been done. The French Parliament can now definitively confirm its vote, paving the way for the law to be promulgated.

In its decision published on Wednesday, the European Commission put forward the public health argument. It wrote that the ban on puffs is “justified, necessary and proportionate” in view of the health issues. France also insisted on the environmental issue linked to these disposable electronic cigarettes, with the microplastics and chemicals they contain.

The European institution also highlights the argument of the price, very low compared to a normal packet of cigarettes, which makes these products too attractive on the French market. This European validation is only valid for puffs and not for all rechargeable electronic cigarettes, the sale of which remains authorized.