Washington (AFP)

"It's a very complex subject, I'm here to listen." Donald Trump animated Friday at the White House a lively and passionate debate on the vaping and the impact of flavored versions of electronic cigarettes on young people.

After raising a ban in mid-September from the Oval Office on all flavors except tobacco, the US president seems to have, at least temporarily, capitulated to the vigorous lobbying campaign of the tobacco industry and the tobacco industry. vapotage.

Ten days ago, he announced that he intended to meet all actors to find "an acceptable solution". "The health and safety of children, with jobs, will be priorities," he had tweeted, very cautious.

The vaping industry is accused of having long targeted young people, with refills flavored with fruits or sweets, and thus make a new generation dependent on nicotine. Advocates warn against the cost of a ban in terms of jobs and highlight the role of e-cigarettes in helping smokers quit smoking.

Friday, Donald Trump has not taken a stand but animated with energy, for more than one hour, a debate on this theme, bombarding people around the table of questions and attending exchanges sometimes heated.

"What is your solution?" "What would you do?" "What do you think of menthol?" "Would you say it's a less serious problem than smoking?" "Do you think it helps people stop smoking?" "How many children will continue to use them if we remove the flavored versions?" "Will they add flavors themselves?" "Many people want to keep the menthol scent, remove the others but keep the menthol, what do you think?"

Many anti-smoking organizations and the American Cancer Society have asked the president to simply stick to his original proposal and ban all flavors.

Cautious on this front, the American president on the other hand estimated that it would be logical to set at 21 years the minimum age to buy electronic cigarettes (today only 18 of the 50 states have this floor age).

- "Sanitary emergency" -

Donald Trump has shown a particular interest in Juul, the leader in electronic cigarettes in the United States, who has stopped selling his mango or mint flavored refills, highly prized by high school students, but defends menthol, a taste well known in the United States. smoking.

"You are the boss of Juul, what do you have to say, why did you remove the flavored products, do you think they are basically dangerous?"

On several occasions, the Republican billionaire, visibly sensitive to some of the arguments of the tobacco industry, has argued that a ban on flavored versions would lead to the arrival of contraband products of lower quality.

Cannabis refills sold on the black market are also at the origin of the epidemic of serious lung diseases that has made more than 2.00 patients and 47 deaths since the summer in the United States, a public health crisis has come add to the debate on vaping and young people.

"One of the problems I see is that if you do not put them on sale, these products will enter the United States illegally," he said, recalling the collateral effects of the prohibition. "Someone will open a factory in China and send products".

Senator Mitt Romney, one of the few critical voices of the president in the Republican Party, was seated to the right of the latter.

He spoke very clearly in favor of the ban on scented products as mentioned two months ago by the tenant of the White House.

"It's a health emergency," he said. "Children must be the priority," he said in a heated exchange with industry representatives.

© 2019 AFP