After its public survey, the French association SOVAPE published a 17-page report (in French) to take stock of the situation:
- Vaping passed down by word of mouth;
- Health professionals haven’t been aware of vaping until their patients asked about it;
- 5% of users think a ban on advertising is justified for vaping brands. Health professionals were 44% to think the same;
- 50% of the health professionals believe that advertising should be authorized in a tight frame (content, support, warnings);
- More than 51% of the health professionals estimate that advertising is without effect or has a positive effect on young non-smokers;
- 99% of users think they should be allowed to communicate freely about vaping;
Vaping stakeholders, customers, retailers, vendors, health professionals and scientists “estimate that their participation in the debate and the definition of the rules is legitimate and indispensable”, explain the reporters.
The lack of a proper definition to the term “propaganda” is embarrassing all stakeholders. For the Association, “this term should disappear” from the Public Health Code, they added that a circular not will not be sufficient to answer all the concerns and that a modification of the Public Health Code is mandatory.
