2023-09-05 07:02:36
It should soon disappear from the landscape. The Puff, a single-use electronic cigarette popular with teenagers, is in the government’s sights. On Sunday, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, spoke out in favor of its forthcoming outright ban. The government will “soon present a new national plan to combat smoking, with in particular the banning of disposable electronic cigarettes, the famous Puffs, which give young people bad habits”, she specified.
Is banning it the way to close the gateway for teenagers to smoking? Have manufacturers already considered new alternatives? 20 Minutes looks at the future of these disposable devices.
A product acclaimed by the youngest
With its colorful design and its candy-flavoured fragrances, backed up by numerous ads from a number of influencers on social networks, the Puff, which came straight from the United States, quickly won over teenagers as soon as it arrived in France. end of 2021. Including Anaé, 17, although this device, which can contain between 0 and 20 mg of nicotine, is prohibited for sale to minors. “I buy some from time to time, it’s fun in the evening, and it costs 6-7 euros, so I can afford it. I like it, because the flavors and the design are stylish: I love frozen grapes, watermelon and ice-cream cookie, continues the teenager. And since it’s not expensive and single-use, I can change it every time and it’s discreet: my parents don’t pick up the trick”. She’s not the only one in her band of friends who appreciates Puff, having never smoked classic tobacco before.
Thus, if tobacco consumption is less and less common among young people, the use of electronic cigarettes is increasing: at 17 years old, it is even increasing very clearly between 2017 and 2022: experimentation has increased from 52, 4% to 56.9% and daily use has tripled, rising from 1.9% to 6.2%, according to a survey published in March by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT). In July 2022, 13% of 13-16 year olds had already tried the Puff, and 28% of e-cigarette users had started with it, according to a survey carried out for the association ACT-Alliance against tobaccowhich welcomes the announcement of its upcoming ban.
“With the Puff, we are really on a pediatric epidemic of entry into smoking, which concerns children from the age of 11-12, with the irresponsible assistance of many tobacconists who sell these devices in defiance of the law. to minors, deplores Professor Loïc Josseran, professor of public health at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin and director of the Alliance against tobacco. This ban, for which we have been advocating for a year, is really necessary to close the door and move towards a tobacco-free generation. Because it is at this age that they are the most vulnerable targets for falling into cigarettes”. Last February, the National Academy of Medicine evoked a “real particularly sneaky trap set for children and adolescents”.
Towards a ban in December?
Before France, several European countries such as Germany, Belgium and Ireland have begun a movement to ban this single-use cigarette. When could the ban come into force in France? In practice, “the bill that we worked on was taken up by EELV deputy Francesca Pasquini and supported in a cross-partisan way in the Assembly, rejoices Professor Josseran. And for the calendar, there would be a parliamentary slot in early December, he says, a fairly short timing.
But “I do not rule out delaying maneuvers by the tobacco industry to try to delay or derail the adoption of the text, and I suspect that manufacturers are hard at work to circumvent this ban or launch alternatives, always targeting the youngest”.
And Anaé, how does she see the future, when the Puff ban comes into force? “I’ve never smoked cigarettes, it’s disgusting, so I don’t plan to start. And I don’t see myself switching to a big electronic cigarette like my father’s either, it’s really too daron, she jokes. And then I don’t want a big thing that recharges, at the risk of being grilled by my parents. So either I’ll do without it, or I’ll see if there’s a way to order it over the Internet, through friends who are over 18 and have a credit card.
Alternatives already in ambush
On the Web, where you can buy Puffs in just a few clicks, reseller sites are already in battle order. Chance or coincidence, many are offering their disposable models up to 40% off. A way to sell stocks more quickly, and thus make room for alternatives?
On the same sites, new products have indeed appeared recently. “Presumably, the brands will focus on certain products that are beginning to gain popularity with young people, like snus, this sucking tobacco, fears Professor Josseran. It’s about winning with one hand what they will lose with the other”.
But another product has been gaining visibility for a few days. It has the color of the Puff, the shape of the Puff, the taste of the Puff, and bears the name of… “Puff”. Except that this Puff could circumvent the law. What is it about ? Rechargeable Puffs: hybrid models whose battery is recharged and which work, depending on the model, either with vials of e-liquids, or with cartridges, or capsules, which simply need to be changed when the previous one is empty.
A Puff instead of another?
Should we fear the appearance of this new generation Puff? “What makes this device so dangerous is precisely the fact that it is disposable, and therefore extremely easy and discreet to use,” says Professor Josseran. Teenagers will not refill an electronic cigarette at home. On the other hand, with these refills in the form of capsules, it is clear that manufacturers are looking for a way to ensure their sales”.
Will these hybrid Puffs be affected by the upcoming ban? “If it’s rechargeable, it’s no longer a disposable Puff, it becomes a standard electronic cigarette”, replies Professor Josseran without commenting. Contacted by 20 Minutesthe Prime Minister’s office had not responded to our requests when this article was published.
#forthcoming #ban #effective #measure #youth #smoking