It may soon be illegal to vapourise

Vapourising... not smoking

Around half a million French people are estimated to use electronic cigarettes as a way of weening themselves off traditional tobacco filled fags.

People can freely use them in bars and restaurants, where traditional smoking is banned as well as at work.

The device, which was first invented in China back in 2003 gives the user a similar sensation to smoking a cigarette.

The battery powered, pen-sized products contain liquid nicotine that is turned into a vapor which is then inhaled.

Their obvious health benefit as opposed to smoking is that they don't contain tobacco and other carcinogens found in cigarettes.

However, health experts have expressed concerns about certain chemicals contained in the liquid, most notably the compound propylene glycol.

As far back as May 2011 the French health agency AFSSAPS advised against using the devices, saying they still contained nicotine, which even at a low concentration could lead to ‘damaging side effects’.

The e-cigarette market is developing very rapidly in France. The two main advantages of e-cigarettes is that they're seen as healthier than traditional cigarettes, and you can use them in settings like bars and restaurants, where traditional cigarettes aren't allowed. According to the French Office for Tobacco Prevention, this little gadget raked in 40 million euros in 2012, and is expected to make 100 million in 2013. This is roughly the same amount as nicotine substitutes sold in pharmacies. However, the brakes are soon to be very firmly applied to this very profitable device.

Speaking to France Info, the French Health Minister Marisol Touraine confirmed recent speculation that the French government will seek a ban on the use of electronic cigarettes in public.

“The e-cigarette is not an ordinary product,” the minister said. “We need to apply the same measures as there are for tobacco. That means making sure it cannot be smoked in public places, that its sale is restricted to over 18s and that firms are not allowed to advertise the products.”

Banning e-cigarettes in public could do serious damage to France’s burgeoning e-cigarette industry because it would reduce the public's perception of harmlessness of the e-cigarette and would remove the practical benefit of smoking or vapourising it in the first place.