Major dump coming - Sunak preparing ban on Vapes within weeks!13 Sep 2023 07:37
THIS IS GOING TO TANK. BE WARNED:
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Disposable vapes and those with flavours designed to appeal to children face being banned under a government crackdown due within weeks.
Rishi Sunak is understood to be putting the finishing touches to a package designed to restrict teenagers’ access to highly addictive products, which could be published as soon as next week.
The prime minister has taken a keen interest in the issue after criticising the “ridiculous” marketing of vapes designed to appeal to children. Ministers have also been working for months on a series of measures.
Vaping is considered much less harmful than smoking conventional cigarettes because it delivers a nicotine hit without the tobacco. Ministers are attempting to encourage adults smokers to switch while stopping children taking up the habit.
Restrictions on advertising featuring cartoons or exotic flavourings were long seen as likely, but ministers are looking at going further after seeing mounting evidence of young people taking up vaping, and political support for tougher rules.
A ban on single-use vapes is due to be included in a consultation paper, with ministers said to favour such a ban. A prohibition on flavourings that appear targeted at children is also likely after increasing concern about products designed to taste like ice cream and candyfloss.
However, ministers are working out how to define disposable vapes and flavourings designed to appeal to children, and final decisions have not been made. A ban on vape companies sponsoring sports teams is also being looked at, although compulsory licencing for retailers selling vapes is considered less likely.
Figures from Material Focus, the charity, estimated last week that five million disposable vapes are thrown away every week, four times higher than last year, with only a fraction of them recycled.
Caroline Johnson, a Conservative MP and paediatrician who has pushed for action, said: “We need a ban on disposables because they are so attractive to youngsters, enticing many children into vaping. They are also very difficult to recycle and pose a hazard to the environment and wildlife.”
She added: “We need to act as quickly as possible because more and more children are becoming addicted to these devices every day. Teachers and doctors report significant adverse effects.”
While the Royal College of Paediatrics and the Local Government Association have called for a ban on disposable vapes, other campaigners warn that this would lead to a black market of unregulated products.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, the anti-smoking charity, said: “The government must act to address the rapid growth in youth vaping, but a ban on disposables is risky, as without far greater resources on enforcement it could turn the flood of illegal vapes into a tsunami. ASH believes a better option is a tax on disposable vapes to stop them being sold at pocket money pric
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