Disposable vapes ban welcomed by West country shop owners
A vape shop owner says the long-term impact of the new disposable vape ban will be seen in years to come.The ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes was introduced on Sunday, aimed at protecting children's health and the environment.Matt King, from Vapers Online in Street, Somerset, said he welcomes the ban and told the BBC he believes it has already started to make an impact."You're not seeing as many batteries on the street," he said. "In a year or so you're definitely going to see a big impact."
The new ban means that shops and supermarkets will no longer be able to sell disposable vapes but they can sell rechargeable or refillable devices.While it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18, disposable vapes, often sold in smaller, more colourful packaging have been cited as an important factor in the rise of youth vaping.Currently one in seven 18 to 24-year-olds vape but have never smoked.Mr King, who has worked in the vaping industry for around 20 years, said young people may be more likely to take up smoking due to the "smoother" experience vaping provides, compared to smoking.However, he said he does not believe the colourful packaging is what has caused many young people to take up vaping. "There's plenty of flashy packaging all over the place," he said."We see it in our supermarkets with alcohol, with everything."
Tara, who works in a Bristol vape shop, said: "When they first came out on the market, I felt like they were aimed at young children."All too often, I've seen young children with them, and trying to come into the shop to buy them as well."I actually had a parent come in here and ask for a box of disposable vapes for his child to take to school and sell. I've got kids of my own [and I thought] that's just disgusting."
Ministers predict the ban will have a significant impact but health experts say further regulation is needed to tackle youth vaping.Dr Jasmine Khouja, from the University of Bristol's tobacco and alcohol research group, has been looking at the impact the ban will have.She said that there are concerns that some young people will buy illicit vapes instead, which are more likely to contain dangerous metals and chemicals.Ms Khouja said their research also shows that some people are likely to take up smoking again."They feel that smoking is more disgusting, [therefore] it's harder to get to enjoy than vapes."Because of that reason, they feel it will be easier to quit smoking than vaping and we know from history, that is really not true."However, she said the ban will be a "big win" for the environment."Around eight million vapes were thrown away last year. That led to about the same amount of lithium that you could power 10,000 cars."
Siobhan Farmer, Gloucestershire's director of public health, said vaping has been an important tool for people trying to quit cigarettes.But she said it is only useful for adults quitting smoking, as vapes do not have the harmful chemicals associated with burning tobacco."If you're not a smoker, or you're a child and you take up vaping, we can't guarantee that those products are going to be safe."We haven't had vapes on the market long enough to understand what the long-term impacts to our lungs and particularly developing brains," she explained.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
The 4 signs of skin cancer beyond moles as Atomic Kitten's Natasha Hamilton reveals diagnosis after ‘itch on her back'
ATOMIC Kitten's Natasha Hamilton opened up about her skin cancer battle, revealing she was diagnosed with the disease after getting a persistent itchy spot on her back. In an emotional Good Morning Britain interview, the singer, 42, revealed she'd had basal cell carcinoma (BCC). 9 9 BCC is the most common skin cancer type in the UK. It begins in the basal cells — a type of cell within the skin that produces new skin cells as old ones die off - and is more likely to develop on skin regularly exposed to the sun, like the face, head or neck. The cancer often tends to appear as a pearly lump, but it can also develop as a scar-like patch on the skin or rough, scaly growths. Natasha initially mistook the diseased patch of skin as a mosquito bite. She told her hosts Kate Garraway and Rob Rinder that she developed an itch after catching a bit too much sun while on holiday in Majorca. Natasha said: "So I had been on holiday, I wasn't actually in the sun a lot, my baby was only about five months old and I was breastfeeding. "One afternoon I had her on my lap, my back was in the sun and I burnt. "I don't know if it was later that day or the next day, I had an itchy spot on my back. "I felt it, I went "oh mosquito bite". 'It wasn't until four weeks later when I was at home and it was itching I was like 'hang on a minute, that seems a bit long for a mosquito bite'. 'I asked my husband to have look and he went "oh that's not a bite," he took a picture. Natasha revealed: "Originally it had just been a dark freckle that I'd had on my back for many years. "It wasn't even raised, it wasn't a mole, it was just a freckle." The star sought specialist help and was diagnosed with BCC. 9 9 9 She was able to have the cancerous skin removed and is now living cancer-free. But she revealed: "Now I have to be really vigilant, I have to check my skin all the time. "Since then I've had a few things appear where I've had to go back to the dermatologist, they're on the 'watch list'. "This is probably something I am going to have to keep an eye for the rest of my life," Natasha said. The 4 signs of BCC When you think of signs of skin cancer, a mole probably comes to mind. This is usually the case with melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease. But non-melanoma skin cancer - which includes BCC - can manifest in other more subtle ways. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, a BCC might have some of these features: A smooth, firm lump that may be pearly, pink, red, brown or black – on black or brown skin, it is more likely to be pearly, brown or black A lump that is sunken in the middle like a crater A flat patch of scaly, crusty or irritated skin A scar-like area of pale, shiny skin This type of skin cancer tends to be painless but it can cause itchiness or bleeding. 9 9 9 Over time, a BCC may develop into an open sore that does not heal. Any part of your skin can be affected, but it's most common in areas exposed to the sun, such as the: Head, face and ears Neck and shoulders Back Hands Lower legs BCCs mainly people with fair skin, but those with other skin types may also be at risk, according to the British Skin Foundation. Those with the highest risk of developing a basal cell carcinoma are: People with pale skin who burn easily and rarely tan Those who have had a lot of exposure to the sun, such as people with outdoor hobbies or outdoor workers, and people who have lived in sunny climates People who have used sun beds or have regularly sunbathed. People who have previously had a basal cell carcinoma Almost all cases of BCC can be cured and it's almost never a danger to life, according to the charity. However, if a BCC is not treated early, it may get larger and may be more likely to come back. Treatment can include surgically removing the affected area of skin. There are two main types of skin cancer - non melanoma skin cancer and melanoma skin cancer. Non melanoma skin cancer includes: Basal cell skin cancer - this is also called basal cell carcinoma (BCC) Squamous cell skin cancer - this is also called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) Some other rare types Non melanoma skin cancers tend to develop most often on skin that's exposed to the sun. There is a high cure rate for these cancers. Most people only have minor surgery and don't need further treatment. Melanoma skin cancer is when abnormal cells in the skin start to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way. It starts in skin cells called melanocytes. These cells are in the deep layer of the epidermis. Around 17,500 people are diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in the UK each year. The number of people diagnosed has increased over the last few decades. Melanoma skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Kemi Badenoch to give speech on the ECHR
Kemi Badenoch is set to use a major speech to declare she is 'increasingly of the view' that the UK should withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. The leader of the Conservative Party is expected to set out a plan to launch a commission into whether Britain should quit the treaty. The ECHR was a dividing issue in last year's Conservative leadership election, with Mrs Badenoch's rival Robert Jenrick championing the idea that Britain should pull out. Critics of the treaty want to leave it because it has been used to frustrate attempts to deport migrants from Britain. Mrs Badenoch is expected to say that she is 'increasingly of the view that we will need to leave, because I am yet to see a clear and coherent route to change within our current legal structures'. 'I have always been clear that if our national interest means that we need to leave the ECHR, we will leave,' the Conservative leader will say. She will add: 'But I say that not because of any particular obsession with international law or with our treaty arrangements. I say that because for me, the most important thing is making our country safer, richer and fairer.'
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Hedge fund orders London-based analysts back to office five days a week
Man Group has ordered its London-based analysts to return temporarily to the office five days a week, as the world's biggest listed hedge fund seeks to recover from a period of poor performance sparked by Donald Trump's tariff war. Quantitative analysts working at Man AHL, the company's computer-run fund that aims to identify and follow momentum in markets, have been told they are expected to be in its offices daily until the end of July as part of an 'all hands on deck' project. The edict applies to about 150 staff in London, just under 10% of the overall group's 1,700 global employees, the Financial Times reported. 'Man AHL has asked its staff in London to work in the office five days a week for a three-month period to support an 'all hands on deck' cross-team research project,' the company said. 'While these cross-team initiatives are infrequent, experience has shown that a period of highly focused, in-person collaboration allows significant research progress to be made in a relatively short amount of time.' The company, which has been a champion of flexible working arrangements including working from home, said that its 'broader agile working policy remains unchanged'. Employees tend to be in the office three days a week, on average. However, this varies by role. Trump's destabilising tariff war has resulted in significant volatility in global markets, which has made it difficult for computer-based funds such as AHL to predict market trends. The company's most recent financial statement showed that the start of Trump's trade war in April wiped out all of the assets under management gains made by Man Group in the first quarter. Its holdings were up $4bn in the first three months of the year but plummeted by $5.6bn in the first two weeks of April. The AHL Alpha programme, Man's institutional trend-following strategy, has lost 10% so far this year. Man Group's share price is down more than 30% over the past year. Man Group is the latest major financial services company to revisit its flexible working policies. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Last month, BlackRock, the world's biggest asset management company, told its approximately 1,000 managing directors globally that they were expected to work from the office full time. The New York-based company last told staff in 2023 that they had to go into the office at least four days a week. Earlier this year, JP Morgan Chase summoned all its workers back into the office. Jamie Dimon, the head of the bank, has long been a proponent of restoring pre-pandemic working patterns. Barclays also hardened its stance on remote working earlier this year, saying that all staff should work from the office at least three days a week, up from a previous requirement of two days.
