European nations are becoming increasingly serious about cracking down on smoking and vaping, especially among young people. Belgium has become the first country in the European Union to outright ban the sale of disposable vapes starting this month. At the same time, Italy’s Milan also ushered in the new year by implementing a ban on outdoor smoking in public spaces.
As reported by The Guardian, Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbroucke didn’t mince words when announcing the prohibition last year, calling disposable e-cigarettes an “extremely harmful” product designed to hook a new generation on nicotine. He cited the waste from the non-reusable vapes as being packed with “hazardous chemicals” that damage the environment.
Oh no! What will the children vape!?
Nitrous oxide
And what will they litter all around the city? Just the rechargable batteries? Unacceptable
Good. But for the wrong reason. Most, if not all, have lithium ion batteries in them. Meaning they all have rare earth materials in them and they get disposed and not properly recycled.
I hope other countries will follow suit, but for the right reason.
Both reasons are valid. Reducing nicotine use and reducing hazardous waste that is difficult to recycle.
If tobacco products are not banned, don’t ban vapes. Vape is a less harmful alternative to tobacco products.
They didn’t flat out ban vapes, they banned disposable vapes. You can still get the refillable vapes and e-juice for them.
Its like a single use bag ban. You can still bring your reusable bag to the store and use it, they won’t be giving you any dispoable bags though.
You’re right. Fuck disposable vapes either way.
I appreciate this news being in English since I don’t speak Belch.
Ni vs e rtoûnez nén, 40% des belges n’ djåzèt nén leu langaedje nerén.
Don’t worry, 40% of belgians don’t speak their language either.
Unexpected Walloon
simple workaround, make the already rechargeable battery removable.
a health ban should have nothing to do with the device, in fact refillable devices are more harmful because you need access to a lethal dose of nicotine.
The ld50 of nicotine is 50mg/kg. When buying nicotine boosters, you buy 10ml flasks of 20mg/l that you dilute. Even if you chugged these boosters, that already have the maximum authorized nicotine content, you would need to chug 50*70/20/0.01 boosters. That’s 17500 boosters, which cost 1€ each. Nobody has access to lethal doses of nicotine because of vaping, and if they did the quantity they’d have to ingest would be absolutely insane.
At least in the US, when I go to the vape store, I buy juice that is highly diluted. Unless you are a DIYer (very small % of the market), you aren’t mixing the nicotine yourself… nicotine is addictive as fuck, but it’s not very dangerous by itself. It’s all the other shit you take in when you inhale that will kill you.
