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The French government have announced plans to ban disposable vapes, with the Prime Minister citing the 'gateway effect' of vapes leading young people to smoke. In this episode, Will Godfrey debunks outdated notions around the gateway effect, and the reaction of THR experts to this ban.

France is planning to ban disposable vapes, or “puffs” as they’re known in the country, by the end of the year. The government is citing concerns over youth as justification—and claims that banning the vapes will help reduce smoking. On September 3, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne described an impending “new national plan to fight against smoking with, in particular, the prohibition of disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous ‘puffs’ which give bad habits to young people.”

PARIS, Sept 3 (Reuters) - France plans to ban disposable electronic cigarettes, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on radio station RTL on Sunday. “It’s an important public health issue,” said Borne, adding that the government is drawing up plans for a national programme to fight tobacco use that she said was responsible for 75,000 deaths a year in France. So-called "puff" devices generate habits among young people that can lead to tobacco addiction, she added. However, the government does not plan to raise taxes on tobacco next year after an increase this year, the prime minister said.

Disposable vapes will be banned in France as part of a national plan to combat smoking, the prime minister said on Sunday. Élisabeth Borne told the broadcaster RTL that the government would “soon present a new national plan to fight against smoking with, in particular, the prohibition of disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous ‘puffs’ which give bad habits to young people”. She said the plan did not include another tax rise on cigarettes, adding: “But that does not mean we are not vigilant about tobacco consumption.” Her main concern is disposable vapes, known as “puffs” in France, which she says are a gateway to smoking.

France will ban disposable electronic cigarettes or vapes as a part of the country’s plan to combat smoking and fight tobacco use, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on broadcaster RTL, on Sunday (September 3). This comes months after the World Health Organization (WHO) said that only four countries have adopted all the anti-tobacco measures to fight the “deadly scourge” of smoking. [...] the French PM said that the government would “soon present a new national plan to fight against smoking with, in particular, the prohibition of disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous ‘puffs’ which give bad habits to young people,” as quoted by the Guardian.

The French government may ban disposable electronic cigarettes popular in particular among teenagers by the end of this year, Health Minister Francois Braun said Wednesday.

"I'm in favor of a ban," Braun told broadcaster France Inter, adding that the devices "lead some of our young people towards using tobacco".

"Smoking is a scourge, it kills 75,000 people per year" in France, he said.

Although President Emmanuel Macron's government has no majority in parliament, ministers would "work with lawmakers" to reach a deal on a ban, Braun said.

French 17-year-olds are less interested in alcohol, cannabis and tobacco than five years ago, a new study of 23,000 teenagers has revealed.

It found more 17-year-olds have never consumed alcohol. Their use of tobacco and cannabis has also dropped.

There are also marked differences between 17-year-olds in and outside education, according to the study*, which surveyed 23,000 youngsters and was carried out by the Observatoire français des drogues et des tendances addictives (OFDT).

E-cigarettes should not have flavourings in them, and there should be more regulation over their sale in France, a national anti-tobacco group has said.

Le Comité national contre le tabagisme (CNCT) published its report on February 13. It focuses on a three-year study from 2020-2022, carried out by the CNCT. It found a very rapid evolution of the market over that time, including the appearance of a wide range of new products.

A new study says smokers receiving noninvasive low intensity electric or magnetic impulses were twice as likely to go without cigarettes for three to six months than those receiving placebo treatment.

Researchers from the University of Dijon in France pooled data from seven previously published studies involving nearly 700 subjects. [...]

“The results appear to be robust, and we feel confident in suggesting that noninvasive brain stimulation is a technique of interest for both short-term and sustained smoking cessation,” lead researcher Dr. Benjamin Petit said in the press release.

Following the publication of a photo taken last week, French President Emmanuel Macron instantly became the world’s biggest vaping celebrity, easily leapfrogging past lesser lights like Leonardo DiCaprio and Katy Perry.

The image, apparently taken by Macron’s official photographer, shows the unshaven French leader heading to his office with a stack of files. He’s wearing a black hoodie with the insignia of an elite French commando unit, and carrying a vape device, almost (but not quite!) hidden in his right hand. (The image is shown in both tweets below.)