The ban may form part of a new anti-smoking plan the health ministry is working on for the coming five years.
The French government may ban disposable electronic cigarettes 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,” as reported by Agence France Presse, according to Barron’s.
“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.
It could be enacted “before the end of this year,” he added.
The ban may form part of a new anti-smoking plan the health ministry is working on for the coming five years.
Sweet and fruit-flavored one-use electronic cigarettes – known as “puffs” in France – are sold in brightly colored packaging costing an estimated €8 ($8.83) to €12 for 500 puffs (inhalations).