Health: electronic cigarettes soon to be reimbursed?

A puff of vaping rather than lighting a real cigarette. 3 million French people have become accustomed to it. This substitute could soon be reimbursed, in the same way as nicotine patches or gum. The project could be adopted at the start of the school year. A proposal welcomed by these smokers crossed Sunday, May 28. “When it’s an addiction, starting this process can help people”says a smoker.

Accurate help if used well

Is vaping a good way to quit smoking? The question is debated, particularly within the High Council for Public Health. Yet it can be a valuable aid, if used well, according to anti-tobacco associations. “When we actually talk about weaning, there is a beginning, a middle, an end, which can make it possible to get out of nicotine for good. But you have to get out of the habit of this gesture in order to be able to stop definitively, and especially if we want to wean ourselves, we must not be a vape-smoker, that is to say, smoke and use (electronic) cigarettes at the same time”, declares Loïc Josserand, pulmonologist, president of the Alliance against tobacco. The government is also considering banning the sale of disposable cigarettes, popular with teenagers.