Belgium bans the sale of disposable e-cigarettes

Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said these cheap e-cigarettes have become a threat to health, easily creating smoking habits and nicotine addiction in teenagers.

“Disposable e-cigarettes are products designed to attract new consumers. They contain nicotine, which makes you addicted and damages your health,” Mr. Vandenbroucke said in an interview.

Because they can only be used once, the plastic, batteries and circuits of these cigarettes can harm the environment. They create dangerous chemical waste that lasts for a long time. According to Minister Vandenbroucke, in the near future, Belgium only aims to ban single-use e-cigarettes, because reusable types can be a tool to help people quit smoking if they can’t find any other way. .

Australia banned the sale of “vape” outside pharmacies earlier this year, the country with the world’s strictest restrictions on e-cigarettes. Now, Belgium is leading the European Union (EU) in this. Vandenbroucke said he wants the 27 member countries in the bloc to make similar tightening moves.

“We call on the European Commission to launch new initiatives to update and modernize tobacco legislation,” he said.

Belgium’s decision received consensus, even in some e-cigarette shops, especially on environmental issues. “When the cigarette runs out, the battery still works, but there’s no way to recharge it for reuse. Imagine the level of pollution a cigarette creates,” said Steven Pomeranc, owner of the Brussels Vapotheque store. .

A ban usually means financial losses for the industry, but Pomeranc said it won’t hurt retailers too much.

The British government also banned disposable e-cigarettes from June 2025 to protect the environment and limit young people from smoking.