Belgium will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes from January 1 for health and environmental reasons, a revolutionary measure for European Union countries.
Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said cheap e-cigarettes had become a health threat because they were an easy way for teenagers to get lured into smoking and become addicted to nicotine.
“Disposable e-cigarettes are a new product designed simply to attract new consumers”he said in an interview.
Because they are disposable, the plastic, battery and circuitry are a burden on the environment. Moreover, “they create dangerous chemical waste that is always present in what people throw away,” Vandenbroucke said, adding that he wants tougher measures on tobacco in the 27-nation bloc.
“We really call on the European Commission to now propose new initiatives to update, modernize, tobacco legislation”he declared.
In a 2022 survey by the World Health Organization of 20,000 Belgians aged 11 to 18, 12% of them said they had used a vape in the last 30 days, more than double the rate. number recorded in 2018.
Germany and France are working on laws to ban single-use vapes. Britain, which is no longer a member of the EU, will ban their sale in June.
Belgium
