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The United Kingdom will ban single-use e-cigarettes, products that are popular among young people because of their fruity taste but are causing concern among doctors and health authorities, the British government announced Monday.

The ban falls within the framework of a broader anti-smoking plan announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last fall.

“One of the most worrying trends at the moment is the increase in e-cigarette smoking among young people, so we must act before this becomes entrenched,” Sunak said, in statements reported by a statement.

According to official figures, among young people between the ages of 11 and 17 who use e-cigarettes, the percentage of those who consume single-use e-cigarettes has increased 9-fold in two years.

The consumption of these disposable products is a "major factor in the alarming increase" in the number of young people using e-cigarettes, according to the government, which points to the "unknown" long-term effects of smoking e-cigarettes.

Health Minister Victoria Atkins told the BBC that the government "wants to help children avoid the disastrous attraction to nicotine addiction, to which e-cigarette smoking is often a gateway."

Reduce the number of flavors

She explained that this ban will take effect from the beginning of next year.

In addition to this ban on single-use e-cigarettes, London will also reduce the number of flavors allowed for classic e-cigarettes, make their packaging less attractive and regulate the way these products are displayed in stores to be less visible to young consumers.

The government says smoking is the leading cause of avoidable deaths in the UK. It also causes nearly a quarter of cancer deaths.

Last October, the Prime Minister also announced his desire to expand the ban on the sale of cigarettes, so that the United Kingdom gradually becomes a tobacco-free country.

Currently, the legal age to buy cigarettes in the United Kingdom is 18 years, and the government wants to raise this legal age by one year every year.

Source: French