Disposable vapes: How the government is planning to crackdown

Jun 05, 2023

Doctors are calling for disposable vapes to be banned – for health and environmental reasons

Banana ice. Blue razz. Lemon tart. For many, these names will be familiar – but that's something that doctors and the government are hoping to change.

I am, of course, describing the flavours of disposable vapes that can be bought at almost every corner shop or supermarket on the high street. In recent years, there's been a steady rise in the number of people using disposable vapes, and experts are particularly concerned about the impacts on young people.

Although it is illegal to sell vapes and e-cigarettes to children, last year 15.8% of 11-17 year olds had tried vaping, according to an Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) survey. What's more, just over 10% of those who had tried vaping said they were 'addicted' to it.

Now, the government is laying out plans for how it will tackle the vaping epidemic. Just last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he would close a loophole allowing vaping brands to give free samples to children in England, and confirmed he's looking into increasing fines for shops found selling vapes illegally.

Similarly in Scotland, First Minister Humza Yousaf recently said a ban on disposable vapes was under consideration, citing the environmental impact of their use.

Further pressure is being applied by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), which says the UK government should "without a doubt" ban disposable e-cigarettes.

But, not everyone is in agreement with the move. Ash argues that a complete ban on disposable vapes would end up boosting the market for illegal vapes – which were recently found to contain unsafe levels of lead, nickel and chromium, according to a BBC investigation – and make it harder to recycle them.

On top of that, Ash says that disposable vapes are a useful tool for adult smokers who are trying to quit traditional smoking.

Instead of banning disposable vapes altogether, Ash is calling on the government to make it more difficult for children to get their hands on them. The charity says that disposable vapes can be bought for "pocket money prices" and suggests the government puts a tax of £5 on their price – meaning they would cost a similar amount to rechargeable, reusable vaping products (although still much less than a pack of cigarettes).

Ash also wants advertising to change too, and says the rules on promotions – and the way disposable vapes appeal to children – need to be tightened. This is echoed by the vaping industry itself.

Like Ash, the vaping industry says a ban on single-use vapes is not the answer, and instead wants on-the-spot fines of at least £10,000 for shops selling vapes to kids as well as a registration scheme ensuring shops meet strict standards before they are allowed to sell vapes.

So, what's next?

Taking all of this into consideration, a spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care in England said in a statement: "We are taking bold action to crack down on youth vaping through the £3m illicit vapes enforcement squad to tackle underage sales to children."

It seems then, that the fate of the disposable vape hangs in the balance...

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