The objective is clear: to wage war on tobacco.
The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to ban in the twenty-seven countries of the European Union (EU) flavored versions of heated tobacco, a new type of product – launched in 2014 in response to the success of electronic cigarettes – which, inhaled , is harmful to health.
These tastes, supposed to soften the sensation of inhaling tobacco, are considered a gateway to smoking.
The proposal will now be examined by a committee of experts, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.
What is heated tobacco?
An electronic box, mini-cigarettes and tobacco refills.
This is what heated tobacco looks like, a new type of product launched in 2014 in response to the success of electronic cigarettes and which, inhaled, is harmful to health.
In France, only Philip Morris markets this cigarette under the name Iqos.
The tobacco company presents it as a cigarette that "heats the tobacco instead of burning it, reducing the harmful components by 95% on average compared to cigarette smoke".
A version largely refuted by scientists, while the Commission notes that the "heating" nevertheless aims to release nicotine, and causes the emission of other chemicals potentially harmful to health.
“This product is no worse than a cigarette, nor better.
It produces less carcinogenic emissions and there is less nicotine, but as the smoker needs his dose, he consumes more", judge Bertrand Dautzenberg, pulmonologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris and specialist in tobaccology.
Why does the Commission want to specifically ban flavored tastes?
There was a time when flavored cigarettes were allowed.
They were gradually banned by the European Commission, until menthol cigarettes in 2020. They were accused of paralyzing nicotinic receptors and reducing the feeling of irritation in the lungs, prompting smokers to draw more strongly on the cigarette.
The principle is the same with flavored versions of heated tobacco.
They soften the inhalation of tobacco and are considered a gateway to smoking.
Concretely, heated tobacco could now smell... only tobacco.
"There is no reason not to ban them when these flavored products are banned for conventional cigarettes", analyzes Professor Bertrand Dautzenberg.
It's the same regulation as for other tobacco products, and it makes sense from a public health point of view.
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Gérard Audureau, president of the Demain sera Non-Smoker association, welcomes this proposal in the face of heated tobacco which he considers to be the "submarine of the tobacco industry to return to pure and simple cigarette consumption". .
"Nine out of ten lung cancers being caused by tobacco, we want to make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives," said European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides in a statement.
The Commission justifies this measure by the increase in the sale of these products in the European Union.
According to her, the sale even exploded in several Member States between 2018 and 2020 such as in France (+ 406%), Portugal (180%) and the Netherlands (153%).
Is this proposal likely to succeed?
The sale of tobacco products was the subject of a European directive in 2014, which set the legislative framework for the territory of the Union, but the developments observed on this market authorize the Commission to modify this framework.
The Commission's proposal will now be examined by a committee of experts from member countries, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.
To oppose it, the States will have to gather a qualified majority (55% of EU countries representing at least 65% of the total EU population).
Why is the electronic cigarette not affected?
"The electronic cigarette is a product that is not very addictive to get out of tobacco, which results in a reduction in the quantity of nicotine, whereas heated tobacco is an addictive product of entry into tobacco", says Professor Bertrand Dautzenberg, who recalls despite everything that electronic cigarettes contain nicotine.
The High Council for Public Health (HCSP) thus estimated at the beginning of the year that the electronic cigarette should not be offered as a smoking cessation tool by health professionals, for lack of hindsight on the benefits and risks.