Latest news with #disposablevape
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Vaping: Why people are stockpiling ahead of disposable vapes ban
Cara Hallinan says she and many of her friends are feeling very nervous about the looming disposable vape fact, she says: "I'm not sure what we are going to do."The 25-year-old took up vaping five years of her friends gave her a puff on theirs and that was it, she could finally wean herself off says it was cherry fizz flavoured vapes which helped her quit her 20-a-day smoking habit, and now, as the ban looms, she's buying as many as she can before they become illegal to sell or supply across the UK."I've been buying boxes of them from my local discount store. They're trying to get rid of them, so I've been getting ten vapes for £20."Cara says she's got about 40 vapes now, enough to last a few weeks, but she wants to stockpile enough to get her through the summer. From 1 June, it will be illegal to buy or sell disposable vapes. Only devices considered to be reusable will be legal. They must have a rechargeable battery, a replaceable coil and be understands there will still be a wide variety of vapes out there to buy, but she's not convinced they will work for her."With everything else going on in my life, what if I forget to recharge my vape? And then I wake up one morning without a vape, or I run out of charge at work?"I'm used to the ease of being able to buy a disposable one when I need."Cara is one of more than three million ex-smokers who have made the switch from cigarettes to vapes over the past few vapes are considered a healthier alternative to cigarettes, there are concerns that vaping provides a gateway into nicotine addiction - with disposable vapes enticing children and young people with their fruity flavours and cheap though rechargeable vapes are the most popular, there are still around 30% of vapers who prefer to use disposable vapes. "One of the big attractions is ease of use," Dan Marchant, owner of online retailer, Vape Club, and co-founder of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), says."Buying a disposable vape is like buying a packet of cigarettes – just nip to the shop and get one over the counter."He says he's seen sales of the most popular flavours of vapes double over the past few weeks as some customers stock online retailer, Haypp, has also seen sales rise ahead of the scientific director, Dr Marina Murphy, said: "Daily sales are now regularly surpassing even our Black Friday peaks, which had previously been our biggest sales days."Some are worried about the change in taste. Disposable vapes tend to be sweeter than refillable vapes due to them often having more sweeteners and nicotine salts in the E-liquid. 'Smoker of the year award' After 40 years of chain-smoking cigarettes, Baroness Claire Fox of Buckley says it was the strawberry and banana flavour disposable vapes that finally helped her quit."They worked a treat and for the past 18 months I have been smoke-free."The 64-year-old peer admits it wasn't easy, but after being advised by two doctors to try vapes, she's gone from being the "proud winner of the smoker of the year award" to a life free from the harms of tobacco. And now, she says, she is dreading 1 June when the disposable vape ban comes in."I've been stocking up with stashes of brightly-coloured vape boxes both at home and at work."The rechargables have a metallic, battery taste which I don't like."She says disposable vapes have had a "miraculous impact on smoking levels"."Finally, we have a smoking cessation device that works and we ban it - it's counter- productive and daft."The outspoken peer, who often berates legislation she sees as infringing civil liberties, says environmental concerns are clearly trumping public health concerns. The UK government wants to reduce the impact on the environment – an estimated five million disposable vapes were thrown away last year – and cut the number of children and young people experts agree anyone who does not smoke should not start vaping, as it may cause long-term damage to lungs, hearts and brains. A Censuswide poll, commissioned by Vape Club, asked 2,000 vapers across the UK how their habits were going to change in the wake of the ban next 49% of people who use disposable vapes said they were going to switch to different types of rechargeable devices, and 16% said they were going to stop vaping altogether, it has also produced some "worrying results", Mr Marchant says."We found that 11% said they were going to stockpile after the ban - by going abroad and buying from countries where disposables are sold legally and then bringing them back into the UK."And more worryingly, 18% said if they couldn't get hold of disposable vapes they would go back to smoking after the ban comes in." This is something, Nick, who owns Mist Vapes, recognises, as he points to the local newsagent a few shops down the road in Whalley Range, south Manchester."Many of my regular customers say they will stop vaping when the ban comes in, instead of coming here, they'll go to Booze and Cigs down the road and pick up a pack of cigarettes and go back to smoking."He is worried about the future of his points to the rows of pastel-coloured boxes, lined up on shelves that cover a whole wall in his shop. There are popular flavours like pineapple ice, rainbow and blueberry sour."They'll have to go," he says. "And that's nearly £6,000 worth of stock down the drain."I only set up my business a year ago, so it's relatively new. I knew the ban was coming, but with 90% of my sales being disposable, I've had to keep on restocking."He believes the government has failed small retail shops like his own."I don't think it's going to make much difference to vaping habits – many of the rechargeable vapes now look the same as the disposable, you can buy them pre-filled and charged."He turns one over – the only difference he says is the charging point at the bottom."I'm selling the rechargeable at the same price but with less of a mark-up." The government says disposable vapes "blight our towns and cities". Circular economy minister, Mary Creagh, says the ban will boost the economy long-term."This is an important step on the road to a circular economy, where we use our resources for longer, clean up our communities, accelerate the path to net-zero and create thousands of jobs across the country."
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A black market for VAPES: Brits 'will turn to illegal options' to get a hit on single-use e-cigarettes when looming ban starts in a matter of weeks
Millions of Brits are prepared to turn to the black market for their nicotine hit after the new disposable vape ban comes into play. Experts are worried the law from June 1 will people who vape to smoke potentially harmful substances from illegal sources - or push former smokers back to cigarettes. Nearly two thirds of people who smoke disposable vapes are prepared to buy illicit vapes if they were readily available, according to a new survey. And thanks to the rising taxes on vapes that are set to come in to place from October 2026, 30 per cent said they would preemptively turn to cigarettes. 'These findings highlight a very real unintended consequence,' said Andrej Kuttruf, CEO of Evapo, who commissioned the study. 'Whilst the intent behind the disposable vape ban and tax increases are understandable, the reality is that a significant number of consumers are signalling they may turn to unregulated, potentially unsafe products or even return to smoking.' These figures come after it was revealed a staggering 82 per cent of people who vape - of which there are an estimated 5.6million in the UK - are stockpiling masses of vapes in preparation for the disposable ban. Nearly 40 per cent said they will have enough stocked to last three months, while 28 percent said they were preparing for six months. The Labour ban - first suggested by the Tory government last January - will come into place on June 1 after data revealed the horrifying extent of young children addicted to fruit-flavoured vapes. MPs and campaigners have warned that a 'woefully inadequate' number of new recruits hired to enforce the disposable vapes ban will lead to a 'new era of criminal enterprise'. In January, scientists found 'huge and often alarming levels of dangerous metals' like lead, copper and cadmium in ten unregulated vape products already on the market. 'Lead is harmful to everyone and every organ. It's a neurotoxin. It can cause anaemia and it can cause severe conditions such as heart disease and strokes,' Dr Ali Kermanizadeh, a senior lecturer in toxicology at the University of Derby, said. He added that 'in some of the products, we found the nicotine content equivalent to smoking 200 traditional cigarettes'. 'The toxicity varies from product to product. We've found these products cause cell death, they cause huge amounts of inflammation, they can change normal cell function and they can also cause DNA damage, long-term they can result in the development of cancers.' Three schoolchildren were rushed to hospital on Wednesday after puffing on a vape believed to have been laced with illegal drugs. The teenagers became unwell at Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough and a 15-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs. She is currently in police custody for questioning. The children, whose ages are unknown, were taken to James Cook University Hospital as a precaution. Cleveland police issued a warning to children and parents about the dangers of using illegal vapes. Detective Chief Inspector John Bonner, from Middlesbrough CID, said: 'Thankfully the children informed an adult as soon as they were found to have felt unwell with some of the children receiving treatment and are currently in a stable condition. 'We are working closely with the school, and our partners, to warn children and their parents on the dangers of using vapes, and I want to remind people that the legal age to use and purchase a vape is 18. 'Not only is this a health issue, but those possessing and supplying illegal drugs could be committing criminal offences. 'I would urge any children or parent who suspect they have been given, or bought an illegal vape, that they believe could be laced with drugs to not use it and to inform an adult and report it to us as soon as possible.' Police have been frequently raiding shops for the illegal sale of vapes, with 10,000 seized in Coventry on Monday alone. More than six million vapes have been seized over the last three years, according to BBC analysis. And nearly 4,000 have been known to sell vapes to children. People who sell illegal vapes will be subject to an immediate £200 fine from the beginning of next month, which could then rise to an unlimited fine or even a prison sentence of two years. But illegal vapes are already a growing industry in the UK - the London Borough of Hillingdon topped the list for total seizures in 2024, with 484,954 vapes confiscated—an increase of 116 per cent compared to 2023. Essex ranked second for total devices seized, with 333,600 confiscated—but was the fastest growing market, with a 14,000 per cent increase in illegal vapes seized. Industry experts attributed this to Hillingdon's proximity to Heathrow airport, making it a key entry point for such devices. Overall, the borough accounted for two in five of all vapes seized by authorities across the UK in 2024. The latest NHS data shows that one in four children has tried vaping, while one in 10 uses vapes regularly. Among 16- to 17-year-olds, the rate rises to one in six. Disposable vapes are by far the most commonly used form of the device, with as many as 70 per cent of children who vape using them. Unlike refillable 'pen' or 'box' style vape devices, which retail from about £20, disposables can be purchased for as little as £3. This, campaigners say, makes them particularly attractive to younger people. One in six vapes confiscated from school children in England was found to be laced with 'zombie drug' Spice, a shocking study further found. Testing hundreds of confiscated vaping devices from 38 schools revealed the alarming prevalence of the illegal synthetic street drug, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. Professor Chris Pudney, an expert in biotechnology from the University of Bath, conducted tests using the world's first portable device that instantly detects synthetic drugs. Working with concerned schools and police forces, he tested 596 confiscated vapes and discovered Spice at 28 out of 38 (74 per cent) of schools across London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire.
