Observation | France's Ban On Disposable Electronic Cigarettes Is Approaching, Retail Websites Have Reduced Product Displays

Observation | France's ban on disposable electronic cigarettes is approaching, retail websites have reduced product displays

The European Union has officially approved a bill in France to ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes. Two or more firsts have found that although the ban on disposable electronic cigarettes has not yet been implemented, the homepage of electronic cigarette retail websites including Lepetitvapoteur, Vapoter.fr, Cigusto, and Vapostore have fewer disposable electronic cigarette products, and some websites require keyword searches to find them.

 

Recently, the European Union officially approved France's ban on the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes, paving the way for France to implement the ban in the coming months (the EU's approval of France's ban on the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes law will come into effect in the coming months).

 

Electronic cigarettes, as an emerging nicotine delivery method, have rapidly become popular in Europe in recent years, especially among young people. Although electronic cigarettes are seen by some as a substitute for traditional tobacco, they have also raised widespread health and environmental concerns. From the UK government's official announcement of a ban on disposable electronic cigarettes in January this year to the EU's approval of France's ban on electronic cigarettes, regulatory policies for electronic cigarettes in various European countries are gradually taking shape.

 

The following is a detailed review of the ban on electronic cigarettes in France by two top 2 firsts.

 

 

Original proposal: Ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes and increase additional consumption tax on tobacco products

 

On November 15, 2022, Ecological Party Member of Parliament Francesca Pasquini and Renaissance Party Member of Parliament Michel Lauzzana submitted a legal proposal numbered 464 (hereinafter referred to as Proposal 464), which aims to ban disposable electronic cigarettes and has received widespread support.

Proposal 464 | Image source: francescapasquini

The 464 proposal provides an explanation for disposable electronic cigarettes and explains its motivation, stating that disposable electronic cigarettes have negative impacts on public health and the environment.

 

These devices typically include a reservoir filled with liquid (whether or not it contains nicotine) and a fully charged battery.
The proposal aims to reduce the negative impact on public health policies by banning disposable electronic cigarettes, as these devices may have adverse effects on anti smoking policies.
These devices are harmful to the environment due to their disposable nature, as they are mainly composed of plastic materials and non removable batteries (usually lithium batteries), posing a direct and long-term danger to the environment.

In addition, the proposal mainly includes two points, including a ban on disposable electronic cigarettes and measures to compensate for the resulting tax losses.

 

Article 1: Add a new provision (L. 3513-6-1) to the first section of Part III of the French Public Health Code, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, distribution, or free provision of disposable electronic cigarettes.
Article 2: In order to compensate for the tax losses that the country may suffer due to the ban on disposable electronic cigarettes, the proposal suggests increasing the additional consumption tax on tobacco products.

Although the proposal provides a brief explanation of disposable electronic cigarettes, in terms of implementation details, the proposal adds that the technical features of the prohibited devices will be defined by the minister responsible for social affairs through a decree.

 

It is worth noting that the implementation details of the EU's approval of France's e-cigarette ban show that the ban only applies to disposable e-cigarettes and does not apply to other rechargeable e-cigarettes. The bill prohibits the manufacture, sale, or free provision of disposable electronic cigarettes, and violators will face a fine of 100000 euros.

 

Overview of the ban implementation process: from proposal to review, and then to EU approval

 

It has been nearly two years since France first proposed the ban in November 2022, and the support of the European Union is the final step for France to implement the ban. The next step is for the French Parliament and Senate to hold a final vote on the ban, and once passed, the ban will officially come into effect.

 

The following is a summary of the implementation process of the ban in France:

 

On November 15, 2022, Legislator Francisca Paskini of the Ecological Party submitted a proposal for a ban on disposable electronic cigarettes.

 

On November 14, 2023, the French National Assembly began discussing this proposal.

On November 28, 2023, the Minister of Health and Prevention, Aur é lien Rousseau, publicly announced at the National Anti Smoking Plan Promotion Conference that France will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes.

On December 4, 2023, the French National Assembly unanimously passed the bill.

 

On February 2, 2024, members of the Social Affairs Committee of the French Senate passed the bill.

On March 21, 2024, the French parliament reached an agreement to ban disposable electronic cigarettes.

On October 10, 2024, the European Union approved the bill.

 

 

The online visibility of disposable electronic cigarette products has decreased
 

By examining French e-cigarette retail websites, it was found that although the ban on disposable e-cigarettes has not yet been fully implemented, there are relatively few disposable e-cigarette products on the homepage of e-cigarette retail websites such as Lepetitvapoteur, Vapoter.fr, Cigusto, and Vapostore, and some websites require keyword searches to find them.

 

In addition, some electronic cigarette retail websites have removed the classification of disposable electronic cigarettes from their product categories.

Cigusto, an electronic cigarette retail website

Two Firsts will continue to monitor the latest developments in the French e-cigarette law and make relevant reports. Please stay tuned.