DISPOSABLE vapes will soon be banned in France as part of a national anti-smoking plan, the country’s prime minister Elizabeth Borne has said.
Borne, speaking on RTL radio on Sunday, did not say when the ban will come into force.
She said the government will soon unveil its new plan to combat smoking, which she said is the cause of 75,000 deaths a year in the country.
It will include a ban on disposable vapes, which she said “are giving bad habits to young people”.
“It’s a reflex and a gesture that young people get used to. That’s how they get into smoking,” she added.
Most of the disposable e-cigarettes, which are thrown away after they are used up, come in sweet and fruity flavours like pink lemonade, gummy bear and watermelon that makes them attractive to teenagers.
They are sold in France usually at a price of between eight euros and 12 euros (£6.86-10.29).
An existing ban on the sale of electronic cigarette devices to those under 18 is not widely respected.
Promoting or advertising such products is also banned.
In June, Scotland's circular economy minister Lorna Slater spoke about the impact that disposable vapes had on the environment, communities and young people, pledging to outline action to tackle the problem this autumn.
The pledge came after research found 543,000 Scots are using vapes, and that almost a tenth (9%) of them were under 16, with 51,000 vapers in this age group, while 78,000 vapers (14%) are under the age of 18.
Green MSP Gillian Mackay, however, insisted the Scottish Government should lead the way in the UK by banning such products.
A ban on flavoured e-cigarettes is another alternative proposed, along with tightening the enforcement of existing laws in relation to underage sales.
Local authorities in England and Wales have also called for disposable vapes to be banned in the UK by 2024 on environmental and health grounds.
