The UK government has announced plans to ban disposable vapes in an effort to address the rising number of young people taking up vaping. The ban is expected to be implemented across the UK, with measures also being introduced to prevent vapes being marketed at children and to target underage sales. The ban follows last year’s announcement of a ban on cigarette sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 as part of an attempt to create a smoke-free generation.
Disposable vapes, which are often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging than refillable ones, are a “key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping,” according to the government. Figures from the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) charity suggest 7.6% of 11 to 17-year-olds now vape regularly or occasionally, up from 4.1% in 2020. Although it is not yet clear when the ban will be implemented, retailers will be given six months to comply once the timing is confirmed.
In addition to the ban on disposable vapes, the UK government will introduce powers to stop refillable vapes being sold in a flavour marketed at children, require that they are produced in plainer, less appealing packaging, and mandate that shops display refillable vapes out of sight of children. A public consultation will take place to decide which flavours should be banned and how refillable vapes will be sold. Among the child-friendly vape flavours currently available are those inspired by cookies, jam, and energy drinks.
Some have argued that disposable vapes are wasteful and that the materials and chemicals used to make them, including their lithium batteries, make them difficult to dispose of safely. While vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, it has not been around for long enough for its long-term risks to be known, according to the NHS. The new measures aim to ensure that the use of vapes does not become endemic among children while not making it harder for adult smokers to move to vaping as an alternative
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