In Monaco, puffs will soon be banned

In Monaco, a bill currently being drafted is expected to soon ban the sale of puffs in the principality. This measure, announced by Christophe Robino, Government Advisor and Minister of Social Affairs and Health, has a dual objective: health and environmental.[1].

Ban puffs to protect young people from nicotine and tobacco

The text, almost finalized, should be quickly submitted to the National Council of Monaco. The primary objective of this bill is to prevent the nicotine epidemic among younger generations. Furthermore, one of the reasons given for banning disposable e-cigarettes is the risk of a gateway effect between puffs and tobacco products. Currently, no data exists on the consumption of these products by young Monegasques. In France, a study by the Alliance Against Tobacco, however, demonstrated the high accessibility of disposable e-cigarettes among French adolescents, since 13% of minors aged 13 to 16 had consumed a puff at least once in their lives. It can be assumed that the levels in Monaco are comparable to those in France.

Ban puffs for environmental reasons

Furthermore, puffs are also heavily criticized in the principality due to the environmental risks they pose. Indeed, these new devices, with a particularly short lifespan and intended to be quickly discarded, are extremely polluting objects. The presence of a non-rechargeable battery, and therefore the presence of heavy metals or lithium, makes the puff a particularly toxic waste product if it ends up in nature. Similarly, the plastic composition of disposable e-cigarettes is an additional environmental problem. However, a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom showed that half of puffs were thrown into household waste or into nature. Finally, these devices were marketed by manufacturers without a recycling channel being established. Thus, to date, no solution for managing or disposing of this waste exists.

The notion of “disposability”, the central issue of regulation

This likely ban on puffs in Monaco follows French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's announcement that she wishes to end the sale of these products in France. However, this risk of a ban has potentially been anticipated by manufacturers, who could circumvent the regulations by marketing rechargeable products, but with a limited number of refills. In other words, the effectiveness of this law depends on its ability to define what constitutes a "disposable" e-cigarette.

©Generation Without Tobacco

FT

[1] Nice-Matin, The Prince's government wants to ban the sale of puff in Monaco, 06/10/2023, (accessed 11/10/2023)