“It starts with the puff and it ends with the cigarette”, young Mosellens testify

Victor, 13, enjoys his chocolate ice cream on Place Saint-Jacques, in Metz. But the schoolboy knows that for a few months, his comrades have been holding rather puffs between the fingers, disposable electronic cigarettes
with sweet flavors, with or without nicotine. “In front of the college, we see a lot”, he explains. “It’s been a year or two since it really spread.”_ A problem taken head on by the public authorities, on the occasion of the “Month without tobacco” operation
like every November. “I am committed to tackling those products that lead our young people to smoking”promised the Moselle Minister of Health François Braun, during an interview on France Bleu.

“It’s really to fit in, to say that we smoke”, believes Inès, a high school student in Metz. His friend Evan tempers: “There are also a lot of students who are against puffs. They are two separate camps. At the beginning, there were also more who were against them. But the problem is that their friends have started to smoke so they’ve become a bit more neutral, if not they’ve gotten into it as well.”

A “fashion” in high school

“It’s true that it looks less serious than cigarettes”, continues Sacha, a high school student. “There is not all the time nicotine, and then there are tastes.” Her friend Jade also notices that her classmates “get into the habit of smoking these puffs. At first it was once a week. Now it’s one every day, even at the end of class. Some even prefer to buy some than eat at noon.”

For many it is also a gateway to smokingthe truth. “One day we see a student smoking puff, and the next day he starts smoking. And after that, he doesn’t stop smoking real tobacco”remarks Victor. “They think it’s more stylish, it’s really a fashion. We see more and more students smoking cigarettes.” “It starts with the puff and it ends with the cigarette”also launches Joanna, high school student. “Sometimes it alternates between the two. That’s why even if they ban it, it’s still dangerous. Anyone who’s gotten into the habit of puff will go for cigarettes. It’s even worse!”

Especially smokers who want to quit

However, the tobacconists assure thatthey never sell these products to minors, what the law prohibits
. “Very often, it is people who want to quit smoking who buy them. So they are already used to cigarettes”assures Céline, who works in a tobacco shop near Metz station. “Afterwards, it can happen that young people who go to parties come to buy puffs. It may be to accompany those who smoke, for a little more fun. But frankly, I don’t have that many.”

To make matters worse, puffs are very polluting
. They are made with lithium batteries, which are often found in nature. To recycle it, you have to deposit it in the small appliances bin at the dumpster.