"Tobacco is [the cause of] 75,000 deaths annually, it is an enormous number. The government will soon present a new national plan to tackle tobacco smoking, which includes, among other things, a ban on single-use electronic cigarettes, known as 'puffs,' that are contributing to the development of harmful habits among young people," Borne told French broadcaster RTL.
The minister said that the French government would not raise the prices on conventional cigarettes.
Tobacco consumption in France increased between 2019 and 2020, however, the overall trend was a decrease of the share of smokers in France over the past two decades. Statista polls have found that the share of French smokers dropped from 30% in 2000 to 25.3% in 2021.