cigarettes are no longer popular with young people

In front of a Parisian high school, at break time, the students strum frantically on their phones. Very few have a cigarette in their hand. “Since I was little, I have always been a sportsman, suddenly [je] I’ve never been attracted to cigarettes”, says a high school student. The time when the cigarette was the symbol of cool therefore seems to be over. In recent years, consumption among young people has dropped considerably. More than 15% of ninth-grade students declared themselves to be regular consumers in 2010, compared to less than 4% in 2021.

The generation born after the 2000s did not experience tobacco in bars, in companies or on public transport, but were rocked by numerous preventive actions. “With the month without tobacco, with the neutral package, with the price at 10 euros. [Ce] are elements that have marked the spirits, which have detached tobacco”, analyzes Loïc Josseran, president of Alliance against Tobacco at the Raymond-Poincaré Hospital in Garches (AP-HP). However, he warns against another product, which is all the rage among young people: the Puff, disposable electronic cigarettes with a fruity taste and high nicotine content.