Article 23: The deafening silence of the Department of Health is an affront to the fight against smoking.
On Tuesday, a line of CRS vehicles blocked Rue de Ségur in front of the Ministry of Health. Joined by AIDUCE (a consumer association) and LA VAPE DU CŒUR (an association that helps the most disadvantaged, working with more than 300 healthcare establishments), and supported by healthcare professionals, independent vaping stakeholders expressed their anger and incomprehension beneath the windows of Minister Stéphanie Rist.
We brought him a giant banner bearing the names of more than 225,000 signatories to the petition Don't kill vaping! as well as studies that show consensus on vaping. As is customary in such circumstances, we asked for a meeting: our request was denied.
The National Assembly rejected Article 23. The Senate dismantled most of the measures concerning vaping. Across the political spectrum, left, right, and center, a majority of parliamentarians said no. No to the principle of equating vaping with smoking. No to taxing citizens because they quit smoking thanks to vaping. No to banning online sales, which represent 30% of the market and 4,000 jobs, and enable the most isolated people to be supplied. No to placing excessive constraints on the number one tool for helping people quit smoking.
The French vaping industry is the tobacco industry's number one enemy. Exterminating independent vape shops means killing off vaping as a risk reduction tool. This is neither conceivable nor reasonable, as the stakes are too high for the public interest:
- Over the past 10 years, one in two French people have quit smoking with the help of vaping: that's 2 million ex-smokers.
- Contrary to all predictions, smoking among young people has plummeted, as has net nicotine consumption.
- All studies are conclusive and expert opinions converge: vaping is certainly not harmless, but the reduction in risks is enormous compared to tobacco. It is a safe and effective aid to quitting, with no proven significant harm, benefiting from more than 15 years of experience. And ultimately, vaping is only really of interest to smokers.
The mission of independent vaping professionals is to help people quit smoking and then nicotine. With an 85% market share in France, the positive impact of independent vaping in the fight against smoking is undeniable. As such, the industry is not opposed to regulation: on the contrary, it calls for the joint creation of a framework tailored to its specific characteristics, enabling it to provide ever more effective help to smokers while protecting young people from any negative effects. Because this is a very real fact, the industry is calling for recognition of its independence from tobacco industry products, as are consumers and healthcare professionals, who are particularly sensitive to this distinction.
The removal of vaping products from Article 23 of the draft finance bill is essential. Consultation between all stakeholders is necessary. The French vaping industry is a global exception and an opportunity for public health. Ten years ago, even though the scientific data on vaping was much less robust than it is today, the Directorate General for Health led by Benoît Vallet, health agencies, learned societies, and associations worked hand in hand with vaping professionals to understand, embrace, and regulate this new tool in the best possible way, in the interests of the greatest number of people.
Standing outside the Department of Health on Tuesday was an unbearable rejection, an abandonment as incomprehensible as it was unfair. The Minister of Health must meet with us: our industry has historically been under her supervision, and we want and need to remain so. A tool to help people quit smoking, such as vaping, should not be entrusted to tobacco companies without any alternative. The independent industry created this tool, knows how to explain it, how to dose it, and how to take the time to provide support. It is the guarantor of the effectiveness of vaping in helping people quit smoking, and it must not be destroyed. The journey of those who quit smoking must not be hindered, either by a tax or by difficulties in accessing the necessary diversity.
Beyond significantly reducing the effectiveness of vaping, 25,000 direct and indirect jobs are threatened by Article 23. Thousands of shops and businesses and their 25,000 employees throughout France drive the local economy and work every day with expertise, sincerity, and kindness to help millions of people quit smoking by offering quality products designed and manufactured in France. If our industry collapses, more than €1 billion in national added value will be lost to foreign countries, benefiting the tobacco industry and the black market. This health nonsense is compounded by an unbelievable economic scandal that will only exacerbate the current climate of precariousness.
FIVAPE continues to call for constructive dialogue with stakeholders to begin today. Professionals will continue to mobilize and take action until their voices are heard. All avenues of recourse are being pursued with determination.
Next item on the agenda: the Joint Committee. In a few days, it will bring together seven members of the House of Representatives and seven senators tasked with reaching an agreement on the final version of the bill to be presented to the National Assembly. We are counting on respect for institutions and democratic ideals to ensure that parliamentarians confirm the previous positions taken by both assemblies. Stay tuned: all the information will be delivered in real time on our social media channels.
Thank you to all independent professionals for your historic mobilization in response to FiVAPE's call, thank you to the nearly 230,000 people who signed the petition, thank you to the organizations that support us.
We are fully committed.
Jean MOIROUD
President of FIVAPE
