If he is in favor of banning “puffs”, disposable electronic cigarettes, François Braun wants to “keep” “nicotinic substitutes for quitting tobacco” in the form of electronic cigarettes, he declared on Sunday while being invited by the RTL-LCI Grand Jury –le figaro.
“Tape Down” Nicotine Until You Quit
“It is a prescription, moreover I plan to open this possibility of prescription also to pharmacists who are faced with these smokers who want to quit smoking”, developed the Minister of Health.
This prescription will exclude puffs, “those colored products” that “attract young people to tobacco” according to him, but will refer to “nicotinic substitutes with these e-cigarettes”, which “allow you to gradually reduce your nicotine consumption and quit.” .
Asked about a possible refund, François Braun replied that the issue was “on the table as part of the government’s next anti-smoking plan, scheduled for the period 2023-2028.”
He also said he wanted to tax “all tobacco products, such as heated or chewing tobacco, in the same way” as the pack of cigarettes.
“Don’t turn a smoker into a vaper”
The prescription by pharmacists and the possible future reimbursement of electronic cigarettes “may be a good idea if it manages to help smokers to quit tobacco,” Dr. Loïc Josserand, president of Alianza contra el Alianza contra el tobacco. In this case, “it will help weaning” and mechanically “you will have fewer smokers.”
On the other hand, since the goal is weaning, this must be done in a “limited period in terms of weeks” or “a few months. But it must not transform a smoker into a vaper.” The prescription must then be addressed to “a smoker who wants to quit smoking and who stops using this device”, judges Loïc Josserand, recommending a follow-up by the pharmacist “to offer (the patient) a progressive weaning of their nicotine”.
For him, vaping allows smokers who want to quit, “since we can quit smoking with more classic nicotine replacement therapies” such as patches or gum. He also warns vapers not to be “vapers” and therefore alternate between e-cigarettes and tobacco.
Source: BFM TV
