Today France has several million vapers and yet the government, through the voice of its Prime Minister, does not seem to want to take this reality into account. A few days ago, Elisabeth Borne, itself a vaper, announced the ban on “puffs” systems which represent a large part of the vaping market in the country. This announcement pushes some consumers into indignation when others are already announcing that they will obtain their supplies through “unofficial” channels.
“WE CAN ALWAYS FIND SOME ON INSTAGRAM”
Why ban such a popular product and "punish all consumers" who for the most part have successfully quit smoking? For the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, it is a question of public health and the protection of young people.
Yet as revealed France Info this decision could have serious consequences: “ I have 50 year old women who are into puff and only use that“, pleads Anne-Sophie, who manages a vaping shop in the heart of Paris. She regrets that the "puff" is prohibited for everyone: " It allowed many people to stop smoking cigarettes. We are going to do the tobacco industry a favor: we are going to have new smokers who were 'puffers'! What a satisfaction to no longer have a morning cough. We are going to deprive all the others because there are tobacco companies who are not capable of saying 'sorry, you are a minor, you are not coming in'"
And indeed, the solution is clearly not to be found in the pure and simple prohibition which will push smokers towards the only thing they know, i.e. cigarettes: “ The State could request neutral packaging, which is less attractive“. She also rejects the ecological argument: the “puffs” are unusable after 300 to 500 aspirations. “ If we are told that there are 'puff' everywhere on the ground, yes, but there are also a lot of cigarette butts on the ground! That we, the vape shops, be provided with recycling bins! ".
Finally, many consumers are already announcing that in the event of a ban they will simply obtain their supplies elsewhere or in a different way. Instagram, Tik-Tok or through a black market system, it will be difficult to regulate a product which, if it is prohibited for sale, cannot be prohibited for consumption. The big losers will obviously be the vape shops and the many smokers who will not have the courage to look any further than the local tobacconist.
