UK’s new vaping laws – here’s what you need to know
Disposable vapes will be banned before the end of next year and flavours will be heavily restricted to crack down on the rise in young people turning to e-cigarettes and protect children’s health.
New anti-tobacco laws will also be introduced to prevent anyone born after 2009 from being able to purchase cigarettes over the course of their lives, as Rishi Sunak vowed to leave a “lasting legacy” for the country.
It follows a worrying rise in the number of children vaping, with official data showing it has tripled over the last three years, while 9 per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds are now using the devices.
Ministers said that disposables have been pushing the rise in youth vaping, with the proportion of 11 to 17-year-old vapers using them increasing almost ninefold in the last two years.
To tackle the issue, the Government launched a consultation on smoking and vaping, which concluded in December.
In its response, Downing Street and the Department for Health and Social Care have set out plans to outlaw the sale of disposable vapes, while taking on new powers to limit the range of flavours on offer, which are specifically marketed at children.
The measures will also ensure that manufacturers produce plainer packaging, and change how vapes are displayed in shops, moving them out of children’s sight.
New fines will be brought in for shops in England and Wales that sell vapes illegally to children.
Trading standards officers will be given powers to act “on the spot” to tackle underage tobacco and vape sales. This builds on a maximum £2,500 fine that local authorities can already impose.
Vaping alternatives – such as “snus” nicotine pouches – will be banned for children.
According to officials, the Government will be able to quickly prohibit the sale of disposable vapes by amending existing environmental legislation, while the crackdown on flavours and packaging will be introduced in a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
The controversial legislation will for the first time seek to outlaw cigarettes and tobacco, meaning children turning 15 this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco, bringing about the world’s “first smoke-free generation”.
Mr Sunak said: “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.
“Alongside our commitment to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes, these changes will leave a lasting legacy by protecting our children’s health for the long term.”
The move has already come under serious criticism from certain corners of the Conservative Party, with former prime minister Liz Truss, who attacked her successor for “seeking to extend the Nanny State”.
There are already doubts that Mr Sunak will be able to push through the bill before the general election, although sources claimed such legislation could be given Royal Assent in so-called “wash up” if Parliament is prorogued before it has passed through all its stages.
As well as concerns over children’s health, the UK Government along with the Welsh and Scottish governments intend to introduce legislation to ban disposable vapes due to their significant environmental impacts.
Vapes should only be used by adults as a tool to quit smoking and they contribute to an extra 50,000-70,000 smoking quits a year in England, the Government said.
As part of the Government’s Swap to Stop scheme, almost one in five of all adult smokers in England will have access to a vape kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit the habit.
Chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty said: “If passed, this legislation would have a major public health impact across many future generations.”
The ban also aims to have a positive impact on the environment, as five million disposable vapes are thrown away each week, up from 1.3 million from last year.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said banning them will require “strict enforcement to be effective, as illegal vapes are already flooding the market”.
