France:
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Cigarettes E-cigarettes Snus Pouches HTP NRT
Data sourced: 2023.   Page updated: 2024-07-23

France abides by the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (2014). E-cigarettes may be brought to market either as medicines, or as consumer products. There are no products that have yet been licensed as a medicinal product. As consumer products, e-cigarettes are regulated by the decree of 19 May 2016 on vapor products containing nicotine. The French interpretation of the TPD is that the limit on tank size only applies to pre-loaded tanks as in pods and cigalikes. As consumer products, e-cigarettes cannot be sold in pharmacies. Cross-border sales of e-cigarettes are legal. Advertising is not allowed including on billboards, TV, radio or shopfronts: it is allowed only inside shops. Since 2017, vaping has been prohibited in educational institutions, on public transport and in open plan offices, although vaping is legal in bars and restaurants. People who flout the bans can be fined between €35 and €150. E-cigarettes are not included in the General Tax Code and there is no excise tax on e-liquids.

Prevalence

Year Value Reference/Comment
2017 2.1 million 1A A
2021 3.0 million 1B
2023 3.8 million 1C
References:
  1. 1. 1. European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG ; 2. Pasquereau, A. et al, (2018) La consommation de tabac en France: premiers r�sultats du barometre sant� 2017. Bull �pid�miol hebd, 2018: p. 14-15. 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. 1. European Commission. (2021). Special Eurobarometer 506: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes (S2240_506_ENG). European Commission. http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S2240_506_ENG 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  3. 1. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Comments:
  1. Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over. nb In country survey using 2017 Health Barometer data shows a significant difference in 'ever tried' vaping (41.7%) Ref: Pasquereau et al (2018) World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Year Value Reference/Comment
2017 4% 2A A
2021 5.59% 2B
2023 7% 2C
References:
  1. 1. European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG ; 2. Pasquereau, A. et al, (2018) La consommation de tabac en France: premiers r�sultats du barometre sant� 2017. Bull �pid�miol hebd, 2018: p. 14-15.
  2. European Commission. (2021). Special Eurobarometer 506: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes (S2240_506_ENG). European Commission. http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S2240_506_ENG
  3. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995
Comments:
  1. Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over. nb In country survey using 2017 Health Barometer data shows a significant difference in 'ever tried' vaping (41.7%) Ref: Pasquereau et al (2018)
4.6%
2 A
2023
globe
24%
3 B
2017
References:
  1. 1. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995
  3. 1. European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG ; 2. Pasquereau, A. et al, (2018) La consommation de tabac en France: premiers r�sultats du barometre sant� 2017. Bull �pid�miol hebd, 2018: p. 14-15.
Comments:
  1. E-cigarettes with nicotine
  2. Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over. nb In country survey using 2017 Health Barometer data shows a significant difference in 'ever tried' vaping (41.7%) Ref: Pasquereau et al (2018)

Product promotion

No
Yes
A
Comments:
  1. Allowed or banned at place of sale or allowed or banned in all media.

Regulation

Allowed
1
globe
Yes
1
Yes
1
Yes
1
References:
  1. Data cross-referenced where possible using the following sources :1. Vapetrotter website. Available at: https://www.vapetrotter.com/laws/ ; 2. Global tobacco control website. Available at:https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/node/14052 ; 3. Tobacco Control Laws website. Available at : https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/

Availability

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
globe

Regulations and restrictions

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes: 18 years
1
2016
Yes
Yes
Yes
References:
  1. https://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/products/revision_en

Perception of harm

17%
1 A
2017
21%
1 A
2017
62%
1 A
2017
References:
  1. Reference: European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
Comments:
  1. Question asked in this survey did not compare harmfulness with cigarettes. The question used was 'Do you think they are harmful to the health of people who use them?' 62% - YES, 21% - NO, 17% DON'T KNOW
The GSTHR database is updated regularly by our team. However, please be aware that the information we provide does not constitute legal advice. We cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate, as the regulatory status of different product categories can change at short notice and with little publicity. If you wish to check the legal status of use or possession of any safer nicotine product in a specific country or region, you should verify the information independently. If you have reason to think that the information supplied on the GSTHR is inaccurate, please contact us with details and any references and we will rectify any errors.