The French Parliament has banned the sale of vaping devices. They are particularly popular among young people because of their low price and variety of flavors, reported Agence France-Presse.
Following a unanimous vote in the National Assembly (lower house) last week, the Senate (upper house) today approved the ban, ending more than two years of debate in parliament and even sending this text to the European Commission, proposed by MP Francesca Paschini.
Parliamentary rapporteur Khalif Khalif condemned “a market that shamelessly targets young children with brazen marketing“, while Senator Anne Swiri criticized the so-called vapes and described them as “designed to attract young people with their sweet taste and attractive design“.
“This is another step towards a generation without cigarette smoke“, said Parliamentary Relations Minister Patrick Mignola.
France is now on track to become the second European country, after Belgium, to ban the sale of these products on its territory. A move that was followed by the UK, which announced a sales ban in June.
Fifteen percent of children aged between 13 and 16 in France vape. Forty-seven percent of them say they started their nicotine addiction this way, according to a 2023 survey by the Anti-Tobacco Alliance.