France to ban disposable e-cigarettes, PM says

[September 05, 2023]  PARIS (Reuters) - France plans to ban disposable electronic cigarettes, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on radio station RTL on Sunday.

“It’s an important public health issue,” said Borne, adding that the government is drawing up plans for a national programme to fight tobacco use that she said was responsible for 75,000 deaths a year in France.

So-called "puff" devices generate habits among young people that can lead to tobacco addiction, she added.

However, the government does not plan to raise taxes on tobacco next year after an increase this year, the prime minister said.

French President Emmanuel Macron in 2021 set out ambitious plans to tackle tobacco and alcohol, pledging more smoking-free areas and aiming to make all 20-year-olds tobacco-free by 2030.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne speaks during the MEDEF union summer forum "La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, LaREF" at the Paris Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, August 28, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

(Reporting by Claude Chendjou; Writing by Mimosa Spencer; Editing by David Goodman)

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