Disposable vapes will be banned across the UK, as the government says they have been a key driver in the rising numbers of young people vaping, and following concerns about the environmental damage that they are causing when thrown away.
A law to restrict vaping was promised by the UK government in last year’s King Speech and forms part of its wider proposals to gradually eliminate smoking, “Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation”. The Scottish and Welsh governments are also committed to enacting laws to ban disposable vapes.
The government consulted on these plans and it has now published its response. The consultation showed overwhelming support for measures to limit the availability of disposable vapes: 80% said there should be some kind of restriction on their sale and 69% were in favour of a ban. Respondents included parents, teachers, healthcare professionals. When the law is introduced, there will be a six-month implementation period.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “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.
“The long-term impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine within them can be highly addictive, so while vaping can be a useful tool to help smokers quit, marketing vapes to children is not acceptable.”
Further measures to reduce the appeal of vapes
As part of the new law the government will introduce powers to restrict the flavours of vapes, which it said are specifically marketed at children, and ensure that manufacturers produce plainer, less visually appealing packaging. The powers will also allow government to change how vapes are displayed in shops, moving them out of sight of children and away from products that appeal to them, like sweets.
To crack down on underage sales, the government will 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.
Additionally, vaping alternatives, such as nicotine pouches, will be outlawed for children as the government said they are increasingly turning to these highly addictive substitutes.
Creating a smokefree generation
In addition to the measures on vaping, it will soon be illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. This means that children turning 15 this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco.
The government said that stopping young people from ever starting to smoke would protect an entire generation from smoking harms as they grow up.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: ““Stillbirths, cancer, asthma, dementia, stroke and heart failure – smoking causes disability and death throughout the life course. If passed, this legislation would have a major public health impact across many future generations.”
Helping schools now to combat vaping
It will take time for the government to enact the law to ban disposable vapes and UK schools have found they need to tackle the growing numbers of their students who are vaping right now. Staff training, student education and developing the right policies will help, but many schools have found vape detectors are the key to success in tackling vaping among students. You can find out more in our guide for schools.
The government’s plan to ban disposable vapes will be welcomed by parents and teachers. However, schools need to address the issue now, so if you would like to know more about how the vape detector that we supply, the HALO Smart Sensor, can help your school to combat vaping, and help reduce anti-social behaviour, please contact us.