Doctors call for vaping bans to tackle ‘epidemic’ amongst youngsters

Top doctors in the UK are urging the government to introduce stricter legislation to combat youth vaping, calling for a total ban on disposable e-cigarettes and limiting flavours to tobacco only.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has warned that the nation is facing a “vaping epidemic” and is asking ministers to “take bold and brave actions” to protect the health of children and young people.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill earlier this year, which included plans to ban disposable e-cigarettes and introduce restrictions on flavours and packaging.

However, it was shelved after the General Election was announced in May.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer revived the Bill following Labour’s victory at the July 4 vote, although details on the measures included in the proposed legislation are yet to be published.

Dr Penelope Toff, chair of the BMA’s public health medicine committee, called on the current Government “to go even further” than the plans outlined by Mr Sunak.

She described the BMA report – Taking our breath away: why we need stronger regulation of vapes – as a “blueprint” of the actions that should be taken by ministers.

It calls for a ban on the sale of disposable vapes “on the grounds of disproportionate and harmful use by children and young people and their adverse impact on the environment”.

To combat the “vaping epidemic”, the BMA also suggests all vape flavours apart from tobacco should be banned, with measures introduced to prohibit the use of imagery, colouring and branding on packaging and e-cigarettes, as well as further restrictions on all advertising and marketing.

Dr Toff said: “The last government made significant progress putting forward a Bill that included a ban on disposable vapes, and plans to regulate flavours and marketing.

“This new Government must now ensure these measures are carried through into legislation – and it would do well to go even further.”

Dr Toff warned e-cigarette use among youngsters is a “serious public health threat”.

“We are calling on ministers to take bold and brave actions that will make a real difference, like banning all vape flavours other than tobacco, so that the grip these products have on our children and young people is released, while still ensuring they remain an option to help some people stop smoking,” she said.

“Likewise, there is no reason why they should need colourful branding and displays; they should be relegated to behind the shop counter, in plain packaging, like cigarettes have been for years.

“While this Government has rightly pledged to tackle smoking and vaping, the test will be in how it acts. As we await details, we have put together this blueprint of the actions that are crucial right now to stop this serious public health threat in its tracks.”

The BMA also wants tighter regulations to tackle the illegal sale of vapes, including Government-funded education campaigns, as well as measures to stop the sale of other products, such as nicotine pouches, to young people.

Publication of the BMA’s report comes after analysis by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) found 11% of the adult population in Britain vape, the equivalent of 5.6 million people.

The figure is the highest since Ash started asking about vaping in its Smokefree GB analysis in 2017.

A separate report by Ash also estimated 18% of 11 to 17-year-olds in Britain – or around 980,000 youngsters – have vaped in 2024.

Professor David Strain, chair of the BMA’s board of science, said: “There is no denying we are living in a vaping epidemic. Vape usage has risen hugely in the last decade, with one in 10 ten adults now vaping.

“However, far more worrying, is the increase in young people who vape, with almost six times more 11-17 year-olds vaping now compared with 10 years ago.

“As a doctor, I understand the role vapes can play in helping people to stop smoking, but they have no rightful place in our children and young people’s lives and when it comes to protecting their health, we cannot afford to gamble.

“An industry so obviously targeting children with colours, flavours and branding, to push a product that can lead to nicotine addiction and potential further harms cannot be allowed to happen any longer.

“And with two vapes thrown away every second in the UK, the environmental impact of this epidemic is disastrous.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The marketing of vapes to children and young people is utterly unacceptable.

“Vapes can be an effective way for adult smokers to quit, but we have always been clear that children and adult non-smokers should never vape.

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes from deliberately being branded and advertised to appeal to children, including by regulating flavours, packaging, and changing how and where they are displayed in shops.”

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