Finance Bill: French vaping mobilizes this week

When vaping is equated with tobacco...

Tension is rising in the world of French vaping. Since the presentation of the 2026 Finance Bill (PLF 2026), one article has sparked particular debate: Article 23. Behind this number lies a text that profoundly disrupts the future of vaping in France. Indeed, it plans to classify vaping products as tobacco products, with all the fiscal and regulatory consequences that entails.

Specifically, Article 23 introduces several major measures:

• a taxation of e-liquids based on their nicotine content (amended on October 22 to "0" for 2026, but still written into the law),

• the total ban on online sales of vaping products,

• and the requirement for administrative approval for all physical points of sale.

In other words, specialized online stores — pillars of smoking cessation for thousands of vapers — would be stripped of their raison d'être, and independent vape shops would have to overcome a series of administrative hurdles to continue operating.

Faced with what they consider a direct attack against harm reduction and consumer freedom of choice, industry professionals are mobilizing. A national petition entitled "Vaping is not smoking. A letter to our elected representatives" has been launched and has already gathered more than 176,000 signatures in less than three weeks.

But today, it is no longer just about signing: the action moves to the streets.

Demonstrations planned across France this week

This week, players in the vaping industry — professionals, associations, and committed vapers — are calling for gatherings in several major French cities. The goal: to obtain the removal of vaping products from the scope of Article 23 of the 2026 Finance Bill.

Here are the planned mobilizations:

• Bordeaux: Tuesday, November 4, from 10am to 1pm, Place Pey Berland (statue of Jacques Chaban-Delmas)

• Aix-en-Provence: Wednesday, November 5, from 10am to 12pm, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, on the Rue Vauvenargues side — we will be there to defend independent vaping!

• Cherbourg: Wednesday, November 5, from 10am to 12pm, Place du Général de Gaulle, near the Mouchel fountain

• Lille: Wednesday, November 5, from 12pm to 2pm, Place du Général de Gaulle (Grand Place)

• Orléans: Wednesday, November 5, from 11am to 1pm, Place Sainte-Croix, facing the cathedral

• Strasbourg: Wednesday, November 5, from 10am to 12pm, Place Kléber, at the statue of General Kléber

• Vannes: Wednesday, November 5, from 10:30am to 12:30pm, Quai Éric Tabarly, right bank, between Place Gambetta and the Esplanade Simone Veil

These gatherings are an opportunity to defend the French vaping industry, but also to preserve a public health tool that has enabled hundreds of thousands of smokers to quit cigarettes.

The demonstrators intend to loudly repeat one essential message: vaping is not tobacco.

Analysis and issues: a turning point for the industry and for vapers

Article 23 does not only threaten shops and manufacturers. It also jeopardizes access to vaping itself for millions of consumers.

For the professional industry

The requirement for approval — heavy with administrative, financial and logistical constraints — could weaken, or even eliminate, many independent vape shops. Yet these businesses play an essential role: supporting smokers through their withdrawal, advice on dosage, in-store testing, equipment repair, personalized follow-up.

Likewise, the ban on online sales would spell the end of a model that has made vaping accessible to everyone, everywhere in France. E-commerce stores today allow consumers to purchase quality products that comply with TPD standards, transparently and at fair prices.

For the vaping consumer

If Article 23 is adopted, the consequences will be direct:

• You will have to travel to an approved tobacco shop to buy your equipment or e-liquids.

• Prices will rise under the weight of future taxes and logistical constraints.

• The diversity of the offering will collapse, as tobacconists favor simple and disposable products, to the detriment of durable equipment and varied e-liquids.

The consumer would thus lose the choice, freedom and personalized support that make vaping so valuable.
This legislation could even encourage a return to traditional cigarettes, or worse, to illegal channels devoid of health controls.

In other words, Article 23 would amount to punishing vapers for having chosen to stop smoking, while weakening an innovative, safe and responsible French industry.

Removing vaping from Article 23: a crucial issue

The week of November 4 to 5 marks a decisive moment for the future of French vaping.
While the government claims to want to "better regulate" vaping, the text of Article 23 goes far beyond that: it equates a smoking cessation tool with the very product it fights against.

The message conveyed by the demonstrations and the petition is clear:
➡️ Protecting vaping means protecting public health.
➡️ Preserving diversity means defending consumer freedom of choice.
➡️ Removing vaping from Article 23 means safeguarding a French industry of excellence.

As the text continues its parliamentary review, every action counts: signing the petition, spreading the word, taking part in gatherings.
More than ever, vaping needs its defenders.