The sale of disposable e-cigarettes in Belgium will be banned from January 1, 2025.
Therefore, Belgium is the first country in the European Union (EU) to ban this type of cigarette.
The EU aims to create a smoke-free generation by 2040, reducing the number of smokers in the bloc from around 25% currently to less than 5%.
E-cigarettes are often advertised as less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
Ms. Nora Melard, spokesperson for the Alliance for a Tobacco-Free Society in Belgium, emphasized the problem of young people starting to use e-cigarettes without knowing the nicotine content in them and that nicotine is an addictive substance.
Belgium responded quickly to the risks posed by e-cigarettes after e-cigarettes entered the country’s market more than five years ago.
The European Commission approved Belgium’s proposal last March, paving the way for Belgium’s e-cigarette ban to take effect.
France has also received EU approval for a similar ban.
French and Belgian health authorities say long-term use of nicotine is particularly harmful to adolescents’ brains and can lead to the use of other drugs.
An EU study from 2023 showed that young people aged 15-24 use disposable e-cigarettes due to their ease of use, ubiquitous advertising on social networks, and low price.
According to experts, at 5-6 USD, disposable e-cigarettes cost only half the price of 20 packs of cigarettes.
Opponents of e-cigarettes also point to the ecological disaster caused by e-cigarettes.
When Belgium asked the EU to approve the ban, it pointed out that plastic disposable e-cigarettes with lithium batteries are usually thrown away within five days of purchase./.
