The French directory of specialty vape shops that are independent of the tobacco industry
Cigarettes kill. Nicotine doesn't.
The government has published a decree1 on September 5. France has decided to ban nicotine sachets. Effective in 6 months, on March 1, 2026.
Nicotine sachets are similar to snus, but without tobacco. Snus is a traditional and widespread product in Scandinavian countries. In Sweden, 15% of the population uses tobacco in the form of snus, while smokers are reduced to 5% of the population. Lung cancer rates are 40% lower than the European average, and oropharyngeal cancers are steadily declining.
The decree banning nicotine sachets is based on the presence of nicotine, described as a poisonous substance, justifying the measure on the grounds of its danger to human health. However, nicotine is still widely used and marketed in products that are already regulated: tobacco, vaping and... reimbursed healthcare products. On the other hand, there is no ban on carbon monoxide, tar and the multiple carcinogens contained in smoke, which have been shown to be solely responsible - and not nicotine - for 75,000 avoidable deaths a year, and for 20% of all cancers.
Nicotine sachets have been hijacked by the tobacco industry. Through marketing and lobbying, it has used a harm reduction product to demonize nicotine and create a new moral panic among young people. And, while it adorns itself with the virtues of a harm reduction discourse, it deliberately sows confusion to make it inaudible to public authorities, because it is held by the "devil". The result suits the company perfectly: a serious competitor to cigarettes is simply banned.
The tobacco industry poisons everything it touches. As always, its strategy is to divert attention away from the competition, to protect its core business, its monopoly: cigarettes. 15 million French are smokers, + 30% of the population, 20 billion euros in sales all taxes included.
It is essential that all vape professionals draw a red line against this criminal tobacco industry. Public authorities must understand the difference between those who use nicotine to kill and those who use nicotine to help wean off.
The government had announced this ban on nicotine sachets. Now it's done. It had also announced measures against vaping: elimination of flavors, lowering of maximum nicotine levels, plain packaging - in short, everything that makes the product more effective than tobacco. And Europe is working on taxes.
What's happening in Tahiti2 should be a wake-up call. Clearly ill-informed, it was "in good faith" that the assembly decided to impose a total ban on vaping, the No. 1 aid for quitting smoking, at a time when the territory has a record smoking rate of over 40%! In the hope of a favorable outcome, FIVAPE fully supports the local professionals who have indicated that they intend to appeal to the Conseil d'Etat. We wish them every success.
Despite the institutional chaos, we have a busy schedule of meetings this autumn, with numerous bodies and decision-makers. And we need more resources and more members to reinforce our actions and our legitimacy, at a decisive time for our hundreds of companies, thousands of employees and millions of customers.
Let's not let the tobacco industry deceive and manipulate everyone. Let's stop them from misusing our products and our commitment to harm reduction and public health. Let's defend independent, ethical and responsible vape, which focuses on smoking cessation and consumer safety.
Happy back-to-school!
Jean MOIROUD
President of FIVAPE
- Decree no. 2025-898 of September 5, 2025 concerning the prohibition of products for oral use containing nicotine - https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000052197959 ︎
- The assembly goes further than the government and bans "vape" - https://www.radio1.pf/lassemblee-va-plus-loin-que-le-gouvernement-et-bannit-la-vape/ ︎