Read articles from Europe

November 30, 2023 by euronews.com

France's health ministry unveiled a new plan on Tuesday to tackle cigarette smoking in the country, including bans on smoking in parks and on beaches. From hiking the price of a pack of cigarettes to banning smoking in parks, France has announced a raft of new measures to reduce the number of smokers. As part of a new plan, the government will increase prices to €13 a pack in 2027, ban disposable e-cigarettes, and ban smoking in public spaces such as parks, beaches, forests and other public areas. Their aim is to create a generation "free of tobacco" by 2032.

November 29, 2023 by theguardian.com

France is to ban smoking on all beaches, as well as in public parks, forests and near schools, after Emmanuel Macron promised to create “the first tobacco-free generation” by 2032. “From now on, no-smoking areas will be the norm,” said the health minister, Aurélien Rousseau. There are already 7,200 tobacco-free areas in France – including in Nice, on the French Riviera, which was the first to establish a cigarette-free beach in 2012 with the approval of France’s League Against Cancer.

November 29, 2023 by filtermag.org

On November 16, the United Kingdom’s National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT), released: “Vaping: a guide for health and social care professionals.” It combines a summary of best available evidence with recommendations for how practitioners should act on this knowledge. The term “e-cigarettes” has now been abandoned in favor of “vapes,” as the new guide explains. And its substantial evolution includes updated science, the deliberate involvement of people with lived experience in its creation, and responses to increasingly topical vape-related issues and misconceptions.

November 28, 2023 by thelocal.fr

The French government has unveiled its new anti-smoking plan, which includes banning smoking on beaches and outside schools and hiking the price of cigarettes. France's public image is that of a smoky country and some of its biggest icons - from Serge Gainsbourg to Brigitte Bardot - are hard to picture without a cigarette in hand. In fact, smoking rates have been steadily declining in France for decades, but the government wants to help more people to quit and has launched a four-year 'plan anti-tabac'.

November 28, 2023 by dailyrecord.co.uk

Vaping in Scotland is on the rise. Worryingly, there’s been an increase in the number of children and teenagers vaping, and this is causing concern. To tackle this problem, the Scottish Government is launching a vaping information campaign to help stamp out the growing habit among children and young people. The campaign targets parents and carers of children aged between 10 and 17 and encourages them to talk to their children about the serious health risks of vaping, getting them to rethink picking up a vape and beginning a habit that could have harmful consequences.

November 28, 2023 by eureporter.co

Smoke-free nicotine products, such as vapes are 90% safer than smoking cigarettes and have proved highly effective at helping smokers to give up a habit that is likely to kill them. Nicotine is addictive but it’s the smoke that kills. Yet the only nicotine product the World Health Organisation is not currently trying to ban outright is cigarettes. That shocking observation was made by Dr Anders Milton, president of Sweden’s Snus Commission. Snus is a tobacco product almost unique to Sweden, which is not lit but simply placed under the lip. It’s played a major part in reducing Swedish cigarette consumption to less than 5% of the population but is banned everywhere else in the European Union.

November 24, 2023 by walesonline.co.uk

As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the UK government crack down on underage and disposable vaping, Brits are getting ready to hear what will come of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. But with the vast amount of information swirling around the internet and news about disposable vapes, how much do we actually know? Thankfully, the NHS has provided some myth-busting facts about e-cigarettes which are handy for keeping in our brains. The service has provided these as a part of its Better Health tools to help people quit smoking.

November 23, 2023 by ecigintelligence.com

Over 50% of French vapers would turn to the black market or buy e-cigarettes from abroad, while 25% would consider resuming cigarette smoking if a flavour ban is implemented or taxes are too high, a survey revealed. A survey named “Merci la vape” (Thank You Vaping) launched at the end of May by four French vaping consumer associations questioned e-cigarette users in the country. The recently published survey results show concern over possible vaping restrictions that have gained support from both healthcare organisations and the government.

November 23, 2023 by independent.ie

Fewer people in Ireland are drinking since before the pandemic but smoking rates have not fallen and more are using e-cigarettes, according to a new national survey. The survey found that the prevalence of smoking is stable, the same as reported in 2021 - 2022 with 18pc of people as current smokers, 14pc smoking and 4pc occasionally. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is now to launch a public consultation on a proposal to increase the legal limit to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21.

November 21, 2023 by tobaccoreporter.com

The Finnish government’s recent proposal to increase taxes on nicotine pouches and vape liquids has drawn criticism from the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA). The current plan would increase the price of one nicotine pouch box by approximately €2.50 ($2.74). This move, which aims to bring smokeless nicotine products under tobacco taxation, is a significant step backwards in harm reduction efforts, according to the consumer group. “Finland’s plan to increase taxes on less harmful nicotine alternatives is deeply concerning. Not only does this reduce the price differential between deadly cigarettes and safer alternatives, but it also directly undermines public health goals. [...]