French Health Ministry Website Sparks Controversy with Pro-Vaping Statement

Nov.07.2024
French Health Ministry Website Sparks Controversy with Pro-Vaping Statement
The French Ministry of Health's website, Santé.fr, stirred controversy by promoting e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool with minimal harm.

According to a report from Vaping Post on November 6, the French Ministry of Health's website, Santé.fr, once issued a statement claiming that "e-cigarettes help with smoking cessation and the theory that they serve as a gateway to smoking does not exist. The harm of e-cigarettes is lower than that of traditional cigarettes." This statement has sparked widespread discussion.


Established in 2016, this platform is part of the modernization of the French healthcare system laws, aiming to provide the public with reliable and transparent health information. The website reports directly to the French Ministry of Health and Public Health, and collaborates with regional health agencies (ARS) and public health organizations.


According to reports, a few days ago, the website published a new article titled "Are e-cigarettes dangerous?". As is customary, whenever the French government releases information about e-cigarettes, it always attracts widespread public attention. This time, Santé.fr cited a study by Cochrane, mentioning the significant effectiveness of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation. The website also referenced a recent Swiss study, pointing out that e-cigarettes are more effective in smoking cessation than other nicotine replacement therapies, and even better than psychological support.


The website also explicitly states, "Contrary to previous concerns, e-cigarettes have not become a gateway to smoking." The website also provides an assessment of the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes, stating that "Twenty-year data shows that the medium to long-term toxicity of e-cigarettes is reassuring.


However, shortly after this page was published, it disappeared from the website. This sudden change has raised public doubts: Was the page published without authorization? Was it under pressure from anti e-cigarette organizations? Does it involve the interests of large tobacco companies?


These issues have sparked widespread discussion within the e-cigarette industry.


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