Former French Minister for Health takes a stand against HNB tobacco

E-cigarettes have become a mainstream alternative to tobacco products and Roselyne Bachelot, the former French Minister for Health, has a lot to say about it. On March 13th, she expressed strong disappointment when discussing the situation. This was the topic of her daily column “L’humeur de Bachelot” (or Bachelot’s Mood) on LCI. Discussing the topic with Julien Arnaud, who presents the République LCI show, the former Minister for Health expressed her opinion on IQOS-type HNB devices.

Bachelot condemned the tacit agreements between cigarette manufacturers and restaurant owners. We covered this topic recently after a particular story was published by Le Parisien newspaper.

While cigarette manufacturers are forbidden from promoting their products, there are legal loopholes allowing them to bypass the law. And they know exactly how to do it! As it stands, cigarette companies are reaching out to restaurant owners to promote their products in exchange for gift coupons. To win over customers, these restaurant owners are encouraging their patrons to try out heat-not-burn tobacco devices. One method is to offer free drinks for trying out the device.

Of course, Roselyne Bachelot was quick to react to this news with some explosive comments: “the tobacco industry is selling murder and will stop at nothing to keep sales high”. Bachelot was among the first to condemn “electronic cigarettes that rely on tobacco”, and also to criticize the promotional strategies associated with these products.

 

Her opposition is nothing new

Roselyne Bachelot has strong opinions on the subject of electronic cigarettes as well. In March 2015, as a guest on the France 2 television show “Ce Soir ou Jamais”, she stated that vaping was “harmful to health”. Her opinion was based in a number of controversial studies that concluded “vaping devices emit carcinogens”.

This did not go under the radar, as her comments on Twitter led to a controversy with many users chiming in. Despite evidence to the contrary and appeals by the vaping community, Roselyne Bachelot remains convinced of the harmful health effects of vaping. She is resolutely sticking to her guns, and it is a sad state of affairs to see vaping devices and heat-not-burn tobacco placed in the same category.