Disposable vapes will be banned in the United Kingdom as the government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping and protect children’s health.
The ban was announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to a school 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,” Sunak said.
The Prime Minister said he is taking bold action to ban disposable vapes, which includes new powers to restrict vape flavours, introducing plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops.
To crack down on underage sales, the government will also bring in new fines for shops in England and Wales which sell vapes illegally to children. Trading standards officers will be empowered to act ‘on the spot’ to tackle underage tobacco and vape sales. This builds on a maximum £2,500 fine that local authorities can already impose.
On Monday, HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force will publish a new Illicit Tobacco Strategy, ‘Stubbing Out the Problem’.
This is in addition to the government’s commitment to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes.
The government had launched consultation on smoking and vaping ban in October. It received overwhelming support, with nearly 70 percent of parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and the general public supportive of the measure.
The government response sets out plans for upcoming legislation which will be introduced in Parliament shortly.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said smoking is still the single largest preventable cause of death in England. Almost every minute someone is admitted to hospital with a smoking-related disease, which is estimated to cost the society £17 billion each year.
Recent figures show the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled. Children as young as 11 years have been found using vapes. The long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine contained within them can be highly addictive, with withdrawal sometimes causing anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches.
Disposable vapes have been a key driver behind the alarming rise in youth vaping, with the proportion of 11 to 17-year-old vapers using disposables increasing almost ninefold in the last two years.
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