Tag: France

France to Ban ‘Dangerous’ Nicotine Pouches

French Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq said in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien published on Wednesday that nicotine pouches “are dangerous products because they contain high doses of nicotine.” She added that a ban will be announced in the coming weeks.
In Germany, while tobacco-free nicotine pouches are officially banned, they remain accessible and popular among young people, according to experts from the Tobacco Outpatient Clinic at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
“I am very concerned because poisoning centers are receiving more and more calls from young people with acute nicotine symptoms related to the use of pouches,” said the French minister.
These include vomiting, shaking spasms, low blood pressure and impaired consciousness, she said.
The minister warned that “the marketing of this product is directly aimed at young people. ” She added that young people need to be protected.
Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA), criticized the move as being detrimental to public health.
“By banning nicotine pouches, Minister Darrieussecq is closing off an effective, far less harmful path for millions who struggle to quit smoking. Pouches have proven to help smokers transition away from cigarettes in other countries and are considerably safer,” he said. “Rather than offering options, France risks pushing people toward smoking or the black market.”
The French health minister plans to ban similar products, such as chewing gum or balls, in addition to the pouches.
October 30, 2024
French Vape Organization SOVAPE to Shutter Doors

Credit: Zoran Milic
French consumer vaping organization SOVAPE announced this week it will dissolve. The group has been active since 2016.
Best known for organizing three Vape Summits in France between 2016 and 2019, SOVAPE also co-founded the European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (ETHRA) umbrella organization. Since 2019, the group has commissioned annual surveys of French public opinion on vaping and nicotine conducted by major market research firm BVA.
However, this year BVA notified SOVAPE that it could no longer participate due to a health industry client’s contract prohibiting BVA from also working with nicotine-associated organizations, according to media reports.
The abrupt cancellation of the survey followed other recent blows, including news articles accusing SOVAPE and other consumer groups of connections to the tobacco industry, and attacks on scientists and health professionals who supported SOVAPE’s mission.
In an Oct. 6 website post, SOVAPE explained it can no longer carry out its mission due to the current climate of “censorship, threats, lies, denigration and slander, to which can be added the dissemination of fake news and the denial of scientific data.”
“Dialogue in this context is impossible,” SOVAPE wrote, “and clearly, it is now even ‘forbidden’ to provide information, such as a banal survey, on reducing the risks of smoking in France.”
SOVAPE will donate the balance of its funds equally to the Pasteur Institute and fellow vaping groups AIDUCE and La Vape du Cœur. SOVAPE has paid to keep its website available for 10 years, and maintains videos of Vape Summit proceedings on its Youtube channel.
“We regret that we are no longer able to cultivate a dialogue to promote the risk reduction approach against the main cause of preventable diseases and premature deaths in France,” SOVAPE said in its post. “We do not regret having tried, but must acknowledge that it is no longer possible for us to lead this fight that is dear to us, and which has nevertheless contributed to saving lives!”
October 8, 2024
Europe OKs French Ban on Disposable Vapes

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The European Commission on Sept. 25 approved France’s bid to ban disposable vapes, reports the Connexion.
France started the process of banning single-use e-cigarettes in December 2023, citing concerns about youth uptake and environmental pollution. Disposable vapes contain microplastics and chemical substances and are generally powered by nonrechargeable, nonrecyclable lithium batteries.
The National Assembly’s proposed ban gained approval in the French Senate in February 2024.
Europe’s validation was the final step in making the ban possible.
“This is a great victory for the environment and for the health of our children, who are the main targets of these marketing campaigns,” Francesca Pasquini, co-writer of the bill, was quoted as saying.
Lawmakers have yet to determine when the legislation will take force. The next step is for senators to vote definitively on a ban before it is formally put into effect.
France will be joining Belgium, where the sale of disposable vapes will be illegal from Jan. 1, 2025.
According to an investigation by the French anti-smoking federation ACT, 15 percent of teenagers aged between 13 and 16 have used e-cigarettes.
September 30, 2024
France Moves Closer to Disposable Ban After Vote

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France has moved one step closer to a ban on disposable vapes. The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to ban pre-filled, disposable e-cigarettes.
“The marketing of these products is intended to attract young people with colors, fruit [flavors] and aromas, and low price,” Labour and Health Minister Catherine Vautrin told the chamber.
While the Senators approved the law, they modified the National Assembly’s text to clarify the ban, according to media reports.
The text would ban the “manufacturing, marketing, sale, distribution or offering for free” of the products and prohibit owning them with the intent to sell or distribute them, with a fine of up to €100,000 ($108,000).
The two chambers will now need to combine their text and approve that version before it is sent to the European Commission, which will have six months to hand down an opinion.
The government has said it hopes the ban will come into effect in September.
Meanwhile, vaping and other recent smoking innovations are expected to be high on the agenda as country representatives gather in Panama City on Monday, tasked with revising the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first treaty ever adopted under the auspices of WHO, entered into force.
February 9, 2024
France Takes First Steps to Ban Disposable Vapes

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France is moving forward with a ban on disposable vaping products. The country’s National Assembly unanimously approved a bill to ban single-use electronic cigarettes because of the product’s environmental impact and tendency to be used by youth.
Lawmakers adopted the bill in a late-night vote on Monday by 104 in favor and zero against.
The bill, supported by the government, will now move to the Senate where it is expected to be adopted. It could go into effect by September 2024, reports ABC News.
This bill is part of a broader trend. The UK, Ireland, and Germany are considering similar measures.
New Zealand and Australia have already implemented restrictions, with the former mandating lower nicotine levels and restrictions on vape shop locations near schools.
December 5, 2023
France to Ban Sales of Disposable Vapes by 2025

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French Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau announced on Tuesday that France will ban the sale of single-use e-cigarettes by 2025 during a National Tobacco Control Program (PNLT) presentation while increasing tobacco taxation.
“We will ban single-use puffs […] which are an aberration both from a public health point of view and in terms of their environmental footprint,” said Aurélien Rousseau at the press conference.
A cross-party bill put forward by ecologist MP Francesca Pasquini “aiming at banning single-use vaping devices” is currently being examined by the French National Assembly. For Pasquini, this is a matter of emergency “when we know that young people discover nicotine with puffs,” according to EURACTIVE.
If the law is adopted by the National Assembly and then by the Senate, France will have to present its bill to the European Commission, which will have six non-compressible months to make a decision.
Germany, Belgium, and Ireland are working on similar legislation to ban single-use e-cigarettes.
November 29, 2023
France to Ban Disposables to Prevent Youth Use

Photo: YarikL
France will ban disposable electronic cigarettes, according to a Reuters report citing comments by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
“It’s an important public health issue,” Borne said, noting that the government is putting together plans for a national program to fight tobacco usage.
Borne said “puff” devices create habits among youth that can lead to tobacco addiction.
Following a tobacco tax increase this year, the government does not plan to raise taxes next year.
Source:
September 5, 2023
France Considers Ban on Disposable Vape Products

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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).
May 3, 2023
Geekvape Inks Deal With Paris Saint-Germain
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Geekvape has announced its partnership with the football club Paris Saint-Germain, marking the second time the two parties have inked a sponsorship agreement.
In a press release, Geekvape, a China-based e-cigarette manufacturer, states that it first became an official partner of Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. The alliance has extended the “Geek” spirit through “spectacular events” that drew a broad international audience.
“I am delighted that our partnership was so successful last year, and it is an honor to carry on the spirit of healthy sport with Paris Saint-Germain, in the new year, in keeping with our mutual pursuit of excellence and elegance for a great new and exciting season,” said Geekvape CEO Allen Yang. “Geekvape intends to capitalize on the enormous popularity of football as a sport in order to spread the love of sport and the concept of health to people throughout the globe.”
Paris Saint-Germain is one of the most popular football clubs in the world with superstar players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. on its roster.
January 9, 2023
Vaporesso Working With Shops to Provide Relief in France
Through its CARE initiative, Vaporesso continues to give back to the communities it serves. On Christmas Eve last month, the China-based vapor company teamed with 17 participating vape shops around France to distribute relief supplies of food to their local communities. With more to come in the New Year, the supplies are intended to help support needy people affected by the fallout of Covid-19.
Credit: Vaporesso
“As Vaporesso grows in size and influence as an international brand, its capacity to influence positive change around the world expands. This growing ability contrasted with the Covid-19 outbreak resulted in the company ramping up corporate social responsibility initiatives throughout 2020,” a press release states. “Through a global network of international partners, Vaporesso has been donating time, money, and energy to giving.”
In France, Vaporesso CARE specifically chose the Christmas holiday as a time to give back. With Covid-19 still raging throughout the country and much of the rest of the world, many people were unable to spend time with their loved ones during the festive season. This, coupled with financial pressures meant that many people were in desperate need of support, according to the release.
Understanding this, Vaporesso CARE connected with local vape shops to give away free supplies, helping needy people throughout the holiday season. The food supplies have also been donated to a number of charity organizations with the intention of giving to an even wider range of people.
Vaporesso’s Global Marketing Director, Niki Zhang, said “At Vaporesso, we take being a positive corporate citizen very seriously. Doing what we can to give back to the community is part of our global mission to make the world a better place.”
The Vaporesso CARE program is dedicated to charity and positive action projects. Initially put together to help international partners cope with the pandemic, it has since grown to represent much more than the fight against Covid-19. Vaporesso CARE is now dedicated to supporting communities around the world through working together with local vape shops and institutions and is set to continue to grow into the future, according to the release.
January 7, 2021