Vaping: the CNCT responds to the Fivape media offensive

Following the publication in the daily newspaper Libération of advertisements placed by the French Interprofessional Federation of Vaping (Fivape), the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) issued a public statement to set the record straight and raise awareness of a communication strategy akin to a lobbying campaign. In an opinion piece published on December 23, 2025, the CNCT reiterates the health risks associated with vaping, denounces the dissemination of incomplete or misleading information, and emphasizes the need for a public debate based on independent scientific data and a public health approach.

A media campaign to challenge vaping regulations

Since autumn 2025, the French Interprofessional Federation of Vaping (Fivape) has launched a major media campaign to oppose the inclusion of vaping products in the scope of Article 23 of the draft budget law. This campaign has been conducted through advertisements published in Release and a significant mobilization on social networks, the federation presents vaping as a central tool for risk reduction and helping to quit smoking, while denouncing an alleged desire by public authorities to align the regulation of electronic cigarettes with that of traditional cigarettes.

The CNCT (National Committee Against Tobacco) points out, however, that the draft budget law does not aim for either complete regulatory assimilation or tax alignment of vaping with tobacco. Even if all the proposed measures were adopted, the taxation applicable to vaping products would remain significantly lower than that of tobacco products. Presenting these changes as equivalent oversight or as a disguised ban constitutes, according to the CNCT, an excessively alarmist interpretation of the text.

In its communication, Fivape relies on several scientific arguments that the CNCT considers either incomplete or inaccurate. The federation notably claims that the 95% reduction in risks associated with vaping compared to tobacco has never been questioned. However, this figure comes from an outdated estimate, based on a methodology now widely criticized and discredited in the scientific literature, and cannot constitute a solid basis for public health messages. Similarly, Fivape ignores the reality of "dual smoking," that is, the simultaneous use of electronic cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, a well-documented and widespread practice that considerably limits the claimed health benefits.

The CNCT also emphasizes the particularly aggressive and anxiety-inducing nature of the campaign led by Fivape, characterized by a catastrophist discourse evoking the supposed "extermination" of the vaping industry and the planned loss of thousands of jobs. This rhetoric is accompanied by a portrayal of Fivape as a central, even leading, player in the fight against smoking, a stance that the CNCT firmly contests. The association reiterates that tobacco control policy is based on comprehensive strategies, grounded in prevention, support for quitting, and the regulation of nicotine products, and should not be confused with the economic interests of an industrial sector.

For the CNCT, this campaign is part of a communication strategy aimed at influencing the legislative debate by dramatizing and oversimplifying the issues, at the expense of providing complete, nuanced information that is consistent with the state of scientific knowledge.

Refocusing the debate on public health issues and the general interest

Beyond the media controversy, the CNCT (National Committee Against Tobacco) calls for refocusing the debate on public health issues. It warns of the increasing normalization of vaping, particularly among young people and young adults, in a context marked by the attractiveness of the products, linked to flavors, marketing, and the normalization of consumption habits. Available data shows an increase in experimentation and regular use without any intention of quitting smoking, contributing to the development or maintenance of nicotine addiction.

In this context, the CNCT (National Committee Against Tobacco) contests the equating of vaping with approved nicotine replacement therapies. Unlike these therapies, vaping products are not part of a structured therapeutic process and do not benefit from the same level of evaluation, prescription, and monitoring. Presenting these products as prevention tools without highlighting their limitations, according to the association, contributes to public confusion and undermines addiction prevention policies.

The CNCT calls for a public debate based on the general interest, grounded in a comprehensive analysis of actual vaping practices and independent scientific data. It reiterates that regulatory choices must prioritize the protection of the population, particularly young people, and be part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce smoking and nicotine addiction, without succumbing to promotional marketing or sectoral economic interests.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE