UK to Ban Sales of Disposable Vapes to Underage
As part of plans to tackle the rising number of young people taking up vaping, the UK is set to ban the use of disposable vapes.
These measures are targeted at preventing the marketing and sales of vapes to children and to target underage sales.
A report from the Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) charity suggests that 7.6% of 11 to 17-year-olds now vape regularly or occasionally, a rise from 4.1% in 2020.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to explain the plans during a visit to a school on Monday.
"As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic."
As part of an attempt to create a "smoke-free generation", this measure follows last year's announcement of a ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
It is already illegal to sell any vape to anyone under 18, but the government said disposable vapes - often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging than refillable ones, are a "key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping".
According to the NHS, Vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, but it has not been around for long enough to discover its long term risks.
The vapour that is inhaled can still contain small amounts of chemicals that are found in cigarettes, including nicotine - which is addictive but not seen by the NHS as one of the most problematic ingredients in cigarettes.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins spelled out her confidence in the new bill to be passed by Parliament by the time of the general election expected to be this year, with it coming into force in early 2025.
Once the timing is confirmed, retailers will be given six months to implement it.
The bill could be brought in using existing legislation designed to protect the environment.
Campaigners have long 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.
The latest changes would also introduce powers to stop refillable vapes being sold in a flavour marketed at children and to require that they be produced in plainer, less appealing packaging.
The government will also be able to mandate that shops display refillable vapes out of sight of children and away from other products they might buy, like sweets.
The government added that further 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.
To help stop underage sales, additional fines will be brought in for any shops in England and Wales caught selling vapes illegally to children.
