For the president of the national committee against smoking Yves Martinet, “puffs are an insult to the health of children and an insult to the health of the planet”.
“We must act quickly because we really have an explosion in the consumption of “puffs” by young children and adolescents, and we must stop this epidemic now”launched the president of the national committee against smoking (CNCT) Yves Martinet on Wednesday May 3 on franceinfo, after the Minister of Health said to himself “favorable” the banning of these disposable electronic cigarettes popular with teenagers. For the pulmonologist, signatory of a column published in Le Monde calling for their emergency ban, “puffs are an insult to the health of children and an insult to the health of the planet”.
franceinfo: “Yes, I am in favor of banning puffs”, said Health Minister François Braun on Wednesday. Are you satisfied with the minister’s words?
Yves Martinet: I am satisfied with the Minister’s words, but what is needed is to act quickly because we really have an explosion in the consumption of “puffs” by young children and teenagers, and we must immediately stop this epidemic. The best thing is to act as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible. Puffs are an insult to the health of children and an insult to the health of the planet. It is a product that should not exist, its sale must be banned as soon as possible.
How old are the youngest users of this type of electronic cigarette?
It’s 10, 12 or even 14 years old. This is really the target population. In France, the sale of products that contain nicotine, whether tobacco or electronic cigarettes, is prohibited for those under 18, but tobacconists do not respect this ban, as do sellers of electronic cigarettes. And as we find the “puffs” in supermarkets, there is no control.
Is it a gateway to smoking? Is it in the long term as dangerous as a cigarette?
The danger in itself of “puffs” is little known since it is something recent. On the other hand, what must be understood is that the nicotine in the “puffs” is in the form of salt, therefore much more addictive than the nicotine in traditional electronic cigarettes. Consequently, children quickly become addicts and this has consequences on their brain development. And then gradually, they switch to smoked cigarettes. It is estimated that a child who uses electronic cigarettes is 3 to 4 times more likely to become tobacco cigarette smokers.
Is there a specific strategy on social networks among “puff” manufacturers?
Yes, via influencers, but not only influencers. There is a beating of children. And what’s quite surprising is that if you talk to parents who have young teenagers, the parents don’t even know what “puff” is. And when you ask kids what puff is, they burst out laughing because they all know what it is. So marketing is effective. The best proof? For a product that did not exist two years ago, we currently have 13% of young teenagers who have tried this product. So marketing is extremely effective.
Do you have any tips for parents?
I think we have to explain that nicotine is a hard drug. Once you become addicted to nicotine, it is very difficult to quit. As such, it is more difficult to quit nicotine than heroin. So we have to explain to the children that it costs them dearly and that they are being rolled in flour by industrialists who have absolutely no morals and that if they want to be teenagers standing up and defending themselves, they have to fight against this marketing.
