Vapers blast Labour's plans to ban disposable vapes as 'absolute claptrap' and accuse the government of driving them back to smoking cigarettes - but demand 'guilty' litter louts take responsibility for their actions

Oct 28, 2024

By Shannon Mcguigan 14:35 27 Oct 2024, updated 14:43 27 Oct 2024

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Vapers have slammed Labour's plans to ban disposable vapes branding them an 'absolute claptrap' as they accuse the government of pushing them back to cigarettes.

From next July it will be illegal to sell disposable vapes such as Elf bars and Lost Mary in a bid to prevent schoolchildren getting hooked on e-cigarettes and to reduce littering.

However, campaigners fear that vapes, which are seemingly reusable, but are almost as cheap as single-use devices, could skirt the ban.

Currently around 360 million single-use vapes are sold each year in the UK with many left littering the streets.

However as the impending ban looms, vapers have hit out on the ban on single use disposables, slamming it as an 'absolute claptrap'.

Jamie 30, unemployed said: 'I don't think they should do it. They help people with mental health and stress.

'I have a hell of a lot of stress to deal with and it's helping me a massive amount.'

Confessing he continues to both smoke and vape, he added: 'It just calms me down. It destresses me - within a minute I am calm. As soon as I put my vape in my mouth I am instantly calm.

'If I didn't have it, it would make me a hell of a lot more c*****r than I am now. People who vape tend to get a lot more stressed and anxious.'

He explained that if he didn't have access to a disposable vape, he would use a refillable one or turn to cigarettes.

When asked what he thought of reducing the disposable vapes and single use plastics to help the environment he quipped: 'They're talking absolute claptrap.'

Susan Baker, 50,: 'I think they should ban cigarettes if anything because vapes haven't been proven to be that bad for you.

'Since I have vaped, my srtess and things are not as bad as it was when I was heavy smoking. I think they should ban cigarettes.

She added: 'I used to wheeze at night but I don't wheeze now. I have had my doctor say they are better for you than cigarettes.

'I think its too strict. I know there are a lot of young people who think its a trend but I think they [the government] should think of the older generation.

'I understand the issue with the plastic but surely they could come up with something more else. The first vape I had was metal.'

When asked if she felt bad about using a disposable vape, Ms Baker said: 'No, mines refillable as well so I don't have to keep throwing it away.'

Ian Gaunt from Birmingham, who used to smoke 30 cigarettes a day: 'I don't think it will the people I know who vape tend to use the non disposable vapes

'I have never been inclined to use the disposable ones so no it won't be a problem for me

'I think people committed vapers who used it to give up smoking cigarettes I think they will move to non disposable vapes.

'I do think it will help the environment I don't like to see loads and loads of disposable vapes discarded everywhere I think that's a very bad thing.'

He added: 'They shouldn't discard them its not good for the planet we should all do our bit to protect the planet.'

It comes as campaigners fear that vapes, which are seemingly reusable, but are almost as cheap as single-use devices, could skirt the ban.

These products are marketed as 'rechargeables', 'pod' or 'Big Puff' vapes.

Scott Butler, executive director of non-profit group Material Focus, told The Times: 'These new vapes, which are already widely available in the UK, can be re-charged and therefore could have a long life span.

'However they are 'per puff' on a similar price point to single-use models, a large proportion are marketed as disposable, and consumers are now used to the throwaway culture embedded with single-use vapes.'

He added that they could therefore cause similar 'environmental challenges' to disposable devices.

This is because around nine in ten retailers are still failing to meet their obligations to recycle the devices, campaigners have claimed.

Disposable vapes have also been linked to fires in bin lorries among other places.

More than 40 tonnes of lithium, used in the batteries, was thrown out with disposable vapes in 2022 — enough to power around 5,000 electric vehicles

Rishi Sunak initially announced plans to ban disposable vapes in January but Labour did not mention the policy in its election manifesto.

Health Minister Andrew Gwynne told The Sun: 'We know disposables are the product of choice for the majority of kids vaping today. Banning them will keep them out of the hands of vulnerable young people.'

Environment Minister Mary Creagh added: 'Single-use vapes waste precious resources and blight our towns, parks and cities.'

The NHS has historically recommended vapes to help people quit smoking, which is one of the biggest causes of illness and death in the UK.

Around 76,000 people die every year from smoking-related health problems, including heart disease, strokes and cancer.

E-cigarettes are far less harmful and can help people quit smoking for good, according to the health service.

However, the nicotine-filled gadgets have seen a surge in popularity among youngsters.

One in five secondary school children now have tried vaping, according to data from the School Health Research Network, released in September 2023.

Kids as young as eight have picked up the habit, according to Trading Standards.

While it is illegal to sell them to under-18s, social media has been flooded with posts from teenagers showing coloured vapes and discussing flavours, such as strawberry ice cream, cotton candy and cherry cola.

Despite health chiefs insisting it is safer than smoking, vaping is not risk-free. E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins and their long-term effects remains a mystery.

Some doctors fear a wave of lung disease and even cancer in the coming decades due to vaping.

Experts are also concerned the high nicotine content might increase blood pressure and cause other heart problems.

Freedom of Information requests revealed that 24 children in England were hospitalised due to vaping since the start of 2022. These could include lung damage or a worsening of asthma symptoms.

A major study revealed that seven per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds who have never smoked are now vaping.

Researchers called for it to be a 'public health priority' to prevent non-smoking children and adults from turning to vapes.

The paper, funded by Cancer Research UK, found a ban on disposable vapes would affect an estimated 2.6million adults in England, Wales and Scotland.

Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, from University College London (UCL), said: 'While banning disposables might seem like a straightforward solution to reduce youth vaping, it could have substantial unintended consequences for people who smoke.

'In the event of a ban, it would be important to encourage current and ex-smokers who use disposables to switch to other types of e-cigarettes rather than going back to just smoking tobacco.'

How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?

There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, containing various different nicotine levels.

The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid capacity in the UK is 20mg/ml equating to between 600 and 800 puffs.

The Elf Bar 600, one of Britain's most popular vapes, is advertised as coming in nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg and 20mg.

How many cigarettes are 'in' an e-cigarette?

The Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent to 48 cigarettes, analysts say.

It delivers 600 puffs before it needs to be thrown away, meaning, in theory, every 12.5 puffs equate to one cigarette.

Experts say for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs equate to ten normal cigarettes.

Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?

Vaping products are considered to be better than cigarettes as users are exposed to fewer toxins and at lower levels, according to the NHS.

The health service adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and diseases of the heart and circulation, such as strokes and heart attacks.

Public Health England, which is now defunct, published an expert independent review in 2015 concluding that e-cigarettes are around 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes.

However vaping is not risk-free, as while levels in tobacco-products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers from the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.

And Dr Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elf bars can cause gum inflammation, swelling and bleeding.

He said this is because nicotine dries out your mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation from a build-up of bacteria and food that can't get washed away.

Nearly 350 hospitalisations due to vaping were logged in England in 2022, which are thought to be mainly down to respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.

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