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Disposable vapes to be banned for children's health, government says
Disposable vapes are set to be banned as part of plans to tackle the rising number of young people taking up vaping, the government says.
Measures will also be introduced to prevent vapes being marketed at children and to target underage sales.
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.
The ban is expected to be introduced across the UK, the government said.
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," he said in a statement.
It follows last year's announcement of a ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 as part of an attempt to create a "smoke-free generation".
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".
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told the BBC she was confident the new bill would pass Parliament by the time of the general election - expected to be this year - with it coming into force in early 2025.
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.
A further public consultation will take place to decide which flavours should be banned and how refillable vapes will be sold, the government said.
To help stop underage sales, additional fines will be brought in for any shops in England and Wales caught selling vapes illegally to children.
Vaping alternatives like nicotine pouches - small white pouches that are placed between the lip and gum - will also be banned for children. The pouches release nicotine but do not contain tobacco, so can currently be legally sold to under-18s.
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.
Health leaders will nevertheless be keen to ensure that the new measures do not make it harder for adult smokers to move to vaping as an alternative.
The announcement follows an initial consultation launched late last year by the UK government and devolved administrations to gauge public attitudes to measures being proposed to reduce levels of smoking and vaping.
The government said almost 70% of respondents supported a ban on disposable vapes.
Trading Standards officers also say more resources are needed to help crack down on rogue retailers, and it may take some time and a different range of policies to stop vapes with damaging illegal content coming into the UK and reaching children.
Local authorities can impose a maximum fine of £2,500 and the government announced a £30m package to support enforcement in October.
Source: BBC news, 29 January 2024
ASH response to government announcement on smoking and vaping
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health said: “Today’s announcements are a vital stepping stone on the path to ending the smoking epidemic once and for all. The Government’s strategy is the right one: stop smoking initiation, support smokers to quit by using the most effective methods, while protecting children by curbing youth vaping. Smoking has caused more deaths than obesity, alcohol, road traffic accidents, illegal drugs and HIV combined and each year kills more people than COVID did at the height of the pandemic. Smoking is the silent killer that hides in plain sight. Ending this scourge on society is long overdue.”
On banning disposable vapes: “Banning disposables when they are so widely used will require strict enforcement to be effective, as illegal vapes are already flooding the market even before a ban. At the turn of the last century illegal tobacco was out of control, just as illegal vapes are now but the number of illegal cigarettes on sale in the UK fell by 80% between 2000 and 2021 after a comprehensive cross government strategy was implemented. It’s excellent news that the government has updated its strategy for tackling illicit tobacco, but we are yet to see the same strategic approach applied to vapes. Throwing money at the problem is not enough, stopping illegal vapes at the Border, inland and at point of sale requires a thought through intelligence-led strategy.”
See also: Department for Health and Social Care - Disposable vapes banned to protect children's health | Department for Health and Social Care - Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation: government response | HM Revenue & Customs - Stubbing out the problem: A new strategy to tackle illicit tobacco
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Rishi Sunak faces rebellion over UK vaping and smoking ban
Rishi Sunak has vowed to defy the Conservative right-wing by pushing ahead with vaping and smoking bans arguing “we must do for our children what we all know is right”.
On Monday, the prime minister is expected to announce a complete ban on disposable vapes, set to come into force across the UK early next year, as well as new restrictions on vape flavours and displays.
Ministers are also pressing ahead with legislation that will make it illegal for anyone currently aged 15 and under to ever start smoking.
However, he faces a showdown in the Commons next month over the smoking bill, which is set to be opposed by several “anti-nanny state” Conservatives including Liz Truss, the former prime minister.
Last night Truss urged the government to reverse the “profoundly unconservative policy”, adding: “While the state has a duty to protect children from harm, in a free society, adults must be able to make their own choices about their own lives.
“Banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or later will create an absurd situation where adults enjoy different rights based on their birthdate. A Conservative government should not be seeking to extend the nanny state. This will only give succour to those who wish to ban further choices of which they don’t approve.”
A group of Conservatives, including Truss, are expected to support an amendment that would replace the prime minister’s policy to eradicate smoking with a one-off increase in the minimum age to 21.
The legislation is likely to progress unchanged with the backing of the Labour Party, but Sunak’s authority will be dented by another rebellion on a flagship policy.
Sunak will set out a package of measures to crack down on smoking and vaping during a primary school visit on Monday, saying they will “leave a lasting legacy by protecting our children’s health for the long term”.
Source: The Times, 28 January 2024
See also: Smokefree Action Coalition – Frequently asked questions (Smokefree Generation)
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UK ministers vow to close loopholes in disposable vape ban
UK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming ban on disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points to them, the health secretary has said.
“We will listen very carefully to suggestions that big tobacco and other vaping companies will somehow find a way around this,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The motivation here is to help ensure that children and young people are not dragged into this addiction to nicotine, which sadly, these vapes can mean for children, young people.”
Questioned about the possibility of vaping firms adding USB charging points to what remained un-refillable and cheap vapes to dodge the ban, Artkins said: “That’s incredibly cynical and it shows, if you like, the battle that the government is prepared to take on.”
Atkins said there was a balance to be struck in terms of curbing the use of vapes by children and young people without overly affecting their availability to people seeking to use them to give up tobacco.
“We are mindful of the impact on industry and this is why, for example, when it comes to the flavours, the choice of flavours, the packaging and the placement of vapes in shops, we have said that while parliament grants the powers through the bill, we will of course consult on how this should be implemented.”
You can listen to the interview here, starting from 2:20:56
Source: The Guardian, 29 January 2023
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Opinion: Rishi Sunak’s smoking and vaping ban will pass and endure despite rightwing rebellion
Writing for the Financial Times, columnist Stephen Bush discusses the Smokefree Generation legislation which would increase the age of sale for tobacco by one year every year, gradually phasing out smoking for younger generations as well as introducing additional regulations on vapes.
Bush states that the raft of proposals are “a big deal” in that they will significantly impact the number of smokers and vapers in the UK. Bush also adds that the legislation makes it explicit that there is no good level of smoking and as a result it is “the business of the British state to stop you”.
Bush points to the bans being popular among the public as well as the current opposition. This makes it unlikely it will be overturned by a future government. However, Bush argues that the strong cross-party support for the bill increases the risk of Conservative rebellion: “It’s a free hit in lots of ways if you are a Conservative MP who wants to show a bit of libertarian leg.”
Concluding, Bush writes that regardless of opposition these measures will endure and will likely be Sunak’s “more lasting legacy on the UK”.
Source: The Financial Times, 29 January 2023
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