ALBAWABA - France is set to ban the use of e-cigarettes as part of a new national anti-smoking plan.
While speaking during a press interview, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne explained that the country is finalizing its budget for 2024, with a plan designed to reduce the level of smoking in France, due to it being responsible for 75,000 deaths each year.
Bourne cited e-cigarettes, which are known in France as "puffing cigarettes", as the main concern. She expressed her fear that e-cigarettes, which come in various flavors such as ice candy, gum, and marshmallows, are a gateway to smoking for teenagers.
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This doesn't mean they aren't a vigilant consumption in the country, but e-cigarettes are the main concern for now.
The ban will put France in line with similar measures already introduced in Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. A few years ago, San Francisco became the first city in the US to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pods.
Former French Health Minister, François Brown, who served as health minister during the Bourne government said that although Emmanuel Macron's government does not have a parliamentary majority, ministers and lawmakers will still reach an agreement on the smoking ban plan, noting that the law might even come into force before the end of this year.
