The UK Government says Disposable Vapes will be banned as part of its plans to tackle the rising number of young people taking up vaping.
The proposed ban, which is expected to be introduced across the UK, is aimed at preventing vaping from being marketed at children and to target underage sales.
The ban will also reduce the major environmental impact of disposables, since 5 million vapes are thrown away each week, up from 1.3 million last year.
The measure, according to a government statement, comes as part of its response to the consultation on smoking and vaping launched in October last year, as recent figures show the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled.
Announcing the move, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “As any parents 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.”
Sunak added: “As Prime Minister, I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term. That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes which have driven the rise in youth vaping, and bring forward new plain packaging, and change how vapes are displayed in shops.”
Experts say smoking is the UK’s single biggest preventable killer, causing around one in four cancer deaths and leading to 80,000 deaths per year. Stopping young people from ever starting to smoke will protect an entire generation, and future generations, from smoking harms as they grow up.
It is already illegal to sell any vape to anyone under 18, but the government stated that disposable vapes sold in smaller, more colorful packaging than refillable ones are a key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping.
For her part, Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Smoking is still the single largest preventable cause of death in England. Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital with a smoking-related disease. And it costs society £17 billion each year, putting a huge burden on our NHS.”
Vaping can be a useful tool in helping adult smokers to quit, according to research from the National Health Service (NHS), but doctors are concerned about the unknown long-term health impact of vaping on young people and their developing respiratory systems, as well as nicotine addiction, which can cause anxiety, trouble concentrating, and headaches during withdrawal.
