Two associations propose banning disposable electronic cigarettes (puffs)

The ACT-Alliance against tobacco and the National Committee against smoking, CNCT, are calling for an immediate ban on disposable electronic cigarettes (puffs), which are very popular among teenagers. A survey conducted by the ACT and the BVA polling institute among 400 French teenagers aged 13 to 16 and published this Thursday, September 8, shows that 28% of them were introduced to nicotine with this product.

Disposable e-cigarettes are compact, ready-to-use, pre-filled vaping devices that can contain up to 20 mg/ml (2%) of nicotine salts. They deliver between 600 (about two packs of cigarettes) and 2,000 puffs per device and are discarded once used up.

A product popular with young teenagers

Puffs, which arrived in France in 2021, have quickly become a fad among young people, particularly driven by social networks and influencers who praise their ease of use. According to the results of the ACT/BVA survey, 66% of teenagers say they have already heard of this product; 13% of them have already used this product; 9% of them have already purchased this product - despite the ban on sales to minors in force - and 28% of them have been introduced to nicotine with this product. Among them, 17% then turned to another form of nicotine or tobacco product.

Despite the ban on consuming these products inside schools, half of adolescents indicate that the puff is used primarily in middle and high schools, thus promoting peer influence on consumption. One in two adolescents said they had tried the product because their own friends consume it.

Teenagers attracted by the variety of puff flavors

These disposable electronic cigarettes come in about fifteen sweet or fruity flavors (marshmallow, iced grape, ice cream mango, choco hazelnut, etc.) in colorful and attractive packaging, reminiscent of the candy packaging that is very popular with minors and young adults. For 61% teenagers, the original and fruity flavors are also the first argument for starting to consume the puff.

These packages are also designed to reduce the effectiveness of health warnings and mislead consumers. More than 8 out of 10 teenagers (81%) surveyed believe that the puff is a gadget and more than half (52%) of them have a positive image of these products, stating that it is fun to play with the clouds of vapor emitted by these products. The textual health warning is drowned in a graphic advertising universe.

A study on the legal feasibility of such a ban is underway

In its press release, the National Committee against Smoking underlines the urgency of banning the sale of these products and indicates that it has initiated an internal study on the advisability and legal feasibility of such a ban as part of its project on new tobacco and nicotine products financed by the Fund to Fight Addictions.

The CNCT had already warned last May, as part of its observatories on points of sale, about the growing accessibility of these products which raises the question of compliance with protective prohibitions such as the strict supervision of advertising at the point of sale and the ban on sales to minors. The association had noted the sale of one or more brands of puff in 70% of the places visited including Parisian kiosks, GIFIs and decoration stores. The association also benefited from a favorable decision last September when the President of the Paris judicial court condemned the company publishing the websites "wpuff.com" and "wpuff.fr", for illegal advertising in favor of vaping.

Keywords: puffs, disposable e-cigarette, vaping, ban, adolescents, ACT, CNCT

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE