“Puffs must be banned” Who “Nothing allows you to quit smoking. On the other hand, nicotine substitutes to quit smoking, yes they must be maintained” launched François Braun, Minister of Health, on RTL on Sunday May. A step, therefore, towards the banning of these puffs, the debate of which should be held in the Assembly at the end of the summer. The minister even went further: “I plan to open this possibility of prescription to pharmacists who are confronted with these smokers who want to quit.”
A public health measure?
François Braun is convinced that the electronic cigarette is a solution for “Gradually decrease your nicotine intake and quit.” An opinion which is not shared by the High Council for Public Health, for which “The potential benefits and risks of medium or long-term use of electronic cigarettes with or without nicotine are not established at this time.” The opinion on the benefits and risks of electronic cigarettes, published in July 2022, is rather clear-cut.
Reimbursement by social security
A measure that is anything but taboo for the Minister of Health, even affirming that the subject is “on the table as part of the next anti-tobacco plan” for the period 2023-2028. A British study from 2022, published in the Cochrane library, concludes that the electronic cigarette is a more effective way to quit smoking, for at least six months, than alternative substitutes such as the patch.
If some consumers see the electronic cigarette as a way to reduce their nicotine consumption, or even to put an end to it, it is clear that the plethora of flavors more fruity than each other does not really encourage them to s do without.