The new chairman of the conference of health ministers wants to campaign for a ban on disposable e-cigarettes. “I am absolutely in favor of these vapes coming off the market,” said Baden-Württemberg’s Health Minister Manne Lucha of the German Press Agency.
The environment ministers are already trying to examine a ban. “As Minister of Health, I expressly support this. The federal and state governments should now urgently address this issue,” said the Green politician. But he speaks for himself and not for the state government, according to Lucha.
Electronic waste, plastic waste and old batteries
Bavaria calls for a Europe-wide ban on disposable e-cigarettes. The cabinet there recently decided on a Federal Council initiative to call on the federal government to campaign for a ban on the sale of disposable products at EU level. Electronic waste, plastic waste and old batteries accumulated after only one use of the e-cigarettes.
According to the Bavarian State Chancellery, total sales of e-cigarettes in Germany alone are estimated at around 575 million euros in 2022, 40 percent more than in 2021. According to estimates, the increase is due to disposable products sold.
It is incomprehensible why less strict regulations should apply to e-cigarettes than to classic cigarettes, said Baden-Württemberg’s Health Minister Lucha. He calls for legal equality. “I consider the discussion as to whether people smoke, vaporize or just heat up here to be a sham debate. In the end, what matters is which pollutants end up in the body of the consumer or people in the vicinity.” The e-cigarette suggests a lower health burden – and this must be avoided.
“Low-threshold and lifestyle-typical entry”
According to Lucha, the rules for protecting non-smokers should also apply to e-cigarettes. So far, however, this has only been the case if the e-cigarettes also contain nicotine.
Disposable e-cigarettes are filled with a non-refillable flavored liquid and have a non-rechargeable battery. After full use, they are therefore electronic waste. Nevertheless, significant amounts of disposable e-cigarettes are disposed of with the residual waste. On the one hand, this leads to a loss of raw materials and, on the other hand, there is a risk of fire from the batteries contained.
Young people in Germany are now smoking significantly more again. “Vapes are so dangerous because they are such a low-threshold and lifestyle-typical entry point,” Lucha told dpa. “This significantly lowers the entry threshold.”
The proportion of smokers among 14- to 17-year-olds rose to more than 15 percent in 2022, new figures show. The average for the previous six years was a good ten percent.
